My Book IV: Babylon
by IF-HBomb
Summary: ExA, Sequel to Brisingr. Updates will be slow. Rated T for occasional mature language and possible mature scenes in the future.
1. Chapter 1

First of all I would like to say a few things. First and foremost, this is NOT my first fanfic. I have written a couple others on Inheritance Forums and this was originally intended only to be a test of an Islanzadi character type. I never actually intended to make a full book out of this, but I decided to go ahead and do it after an overwhelming amount of positive feedback on IF.

Chapter 1: New Responsibilities and Freedom

The rustle of the wind swept over the camp of the Varden, carrying with it the scent of burning flesh. It was the day after Feinster had been conquered by the free forces, one agonizing night since Eragon and Saphira's masters had been slain by Murtagh, or was it Galbatorix? What Eragon witnessed through Glaedr's Eldunari still puzzled him greatly. How could Galbatorix have the strength to take control of Murtagh from such a distance and still hold Glaedr and Thorn in place? It was almost inconceivable.

Regardless of how Galbatorix was able to do such things, Eragon knew it spelled trouble for him and the Varden. He and Saphira had kept themselves sanguine by assuring each other that they would be able to defeat Galbatorix, whereas in reality their chances of victory, should Galbatorix decide to challenge them, were slim to none.

He noticed Saphira fading in the distance, her glittering sapphire scales reflected rays of light across the plains, creating a spectacular display across the morning sky. A few moments prior she had notified him that she planned to take a quick bath in the nearby river, and that she planned to spend some time hunting. Eragon wanted to go along with her; however he knew that the Varden would need him and that it would be reckless and irresponsible to fly away for his own pleasure when so much work remained to be done.

Eragon yawned loudly. He had only gotten a few hours sleep due to how long it took to win the battle. Before he had returned to his tent he had visited Arya and spoke to her for a short time, checking her for any injuries that she may had sustained from the previous battle. He knew that Arya was no incapable human woman, but he also felt obligated to make sure that she was safe, if for no other reason than his own sanity.

Eragon was knocked out of his reverie as Jarsha, the Varden's young messenger boy, trotted up to him. His guards blocked the boy and Blodhgarm inquired his purpose for visiting Eragon, for the elves had yet to see the boy and were unaware of his duties. Eragon caught Blodhgarm's eye and shook his head, signaling the elf to stand aside and allow Jarsha to pass. Jarsha nodded in thanks to Eragon, who responded with a slight smile. The boy was constantly puzzling him. He almost reminded Eragon of a younger version of himself, only far less curious and a little less inclined to get himself into trouble.

Eragon noticed that Jarsha seemed far more at ease around him, likely because Saphira was off flying and he wasn't worried about being eaten as a snack. "Nasuada requests your presence, Shadeslayer, and that of Lady Arya."

"Have you spoken to Arya yet about this?" Eragon's voice betrayed little to no emotion, which he could tell had a slight effect on the young messenger before him. Silently he berated himself for being so impatient and careless with people.

"No," Jarsha replied, giving Eragon a slightly quizzical look.

"I will attend to it. You may go, Jarsha." The boy bowed respectfully and jogged away. By the speed at which he left Eragon judged that even without Saphira being present, Jarsha was far from comfortable around him, something which he was able to sympathize with.

With a slight sigh of annoyance Eragon began walking towards Nasuada's tent, the one place that he _didn't_ want to visit. Eragon extended his consciousness towards where he knew Arya's tent was, but was surprised to find the tent empty. He quickly scoured the rest of the Varden, searching for the unmistakable consciousness of Arya, but he was unable to locate any such mind. Eragon was slightly disturbed by her reticence on a daily basis, but he assumed that she would at least be reachable the day after a battle, the time when she was needed the most.

As Eragon arrived at Nasuada's tent his elven guards mixed with Nasuada's Nighthawks. The Nighthawks showed obvious discomfort at the thought of allowing the elves to stand guard beside them, for very few people had seen elves or knew what they would do in a dire situation. They were unpredictable, something that nobody liked.

On the other hand, Eragon's guards showed no signs of unease as they stood beside the Humans, Dwarves, and Urgals. An Urgal Nighthawk, who bore an emblem of leadership, proclaimed, "Lady Nightstalker, Eragon Shadeslayer requests and audience."

From inside the pointed tent Eragon heard Nasuada call out, "You may admit him."

The Nighthawks stepped aside upon Nasuada's declaration, allowing Eragon to enter the tent. The first thing Eragon noticed about the inside of the tent was that Nasuada was alone except for the lone figure of Islanzadi in a mirror beside her. He also noticed that Nasuada eyed Islanzadi with something akin to fear, or maybe submission. Eragon could only assume that before he had arrived the queen of the elves and the leader of the Varden had gotten into some sort of argument, and that Islanzadi had won. Skirting a small box on the ground, Eragon took a seat near Nasuada and Islanzadi. Eragon and Islanzadi exchanged the traditional elven greetings, and Eragon was taken by surprise when Nasuada prompted him with, "Atra esterni ono thelduin."

"Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." Eragon was slightly taken aback by Nasuada's knowledge of the elvish customs. He waited a moment to see if Nasuada would add the third, more formal, line. When nothing was forthcoming he asked, "What is it that you need from me?"

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Islanzadi began. Her usually smooth and calm voice was laced with traces of sorrow.

Eragon stopped her with a raised hand, already knowing what she was going to speak of. In a low voice, so that no eavesdroppers would hear, he said, "I am aware of their passing, my queen. Glaedr entrusted his heart of hearts to me before we set off from Ellesmera. I saw the battle through his eyes." A tear came to Eragon's eye as he remembered what Glaedr had been thinking as Oromis had passed into the void. He silently promised himself that he would never make Saphira go through anything like that.

Islanzadi was affected in a similar way, for Eragon saw her wipe a crystal tear from her cheek. Silence reigned for a moment, a tribute of respect to the fallen Rider and dragon, and then Islanzadi said, "I am pleased to hear that Glaedr's knowledge is still alive with you. We shall need his help if we are to prevail in this war." Islanzadi paused for a moment. "Other than that, I believe there is only one other thing to attend to that pertains to official war business. First, I believe Nasuada has something to say to you."

Eragon noticed Nasuada gulp before standing up, eyeing Islanzadi the entire time. She reached for Brisingr, which was strapped onto the Belt of Beloth the wise, and drew the sword slowly. He didn't make any attempt to stop her, he knew that if she had hostile intent he would easily be able to neutralize her before she could utilize the weapon. "Please kneel, Eragon."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Islanzadi nod in approval, encouraging him to do as Nasuada requested. Eragon felt somewhat awkward as he knelt before Nasuada, all the while wondering what exactly this was about. She raised Brisingr and rested the tip on Eragon's forehead, creating a slight pressure between his skin and the blade. "The queen of the elves has requested that I release you from your oath of fealty to me, and she has given me sufficient reason to do so. As of this moment I release you, Eragon Shadeslayer, from my service. You are free."

Eragon stood up and accepted his sword from Nasuada as she proffered it to him. In a single fluid motion he sheathed the blade and bowed graciously before Nasuada. "Thank you." Nasuada inclined her head.

Islanzadi waited a moment, allowing Eragon to enjoy his newfound freedom. After a moment she asked, "Eragon, where is Arya? I seem to remember telling that human messenger to find her as well."

"I do not know exactly, but I would guess that she is near a group of trees that I noticed while we were flying in from Ellesmera." Eragon saw the worried look on Islanzadi's face, causing him to add, "I plan to go and find her as soon as we are done with this meeting."

"Please do." Eragon was again surprised by the emotion he could sense in her words. He could tell that Islanzadi was concerned for Arya and deduced that the elf hadn't contacted her mother the previous night. Eragon put his thoughts aside as Islanzadi said, "You are likely wondering why you have been released from your fealty to Nasuada." Eragon nodded. "I name you the official Lead Rider, Eragon Shadeslayer. It was Oromis' wish and I agreed wholeheartedly with it. You are worth of the title."

Eragon wasn't surprised by Islanzadi's statement, after all who else could be the Lead Rider? Oromis had even discussed it with him on several occasions. He replied to her statement by saying simply, "Thank you, I knew that was coming." Islanzadi gave a brief, birdlike nod in understanding. Eragon's lips twitched as he remembered Islanzadi's concern for Arya and decided to have a little bit of fun with it. "Do you know about Arya, Islanzadi?"

"What about her?" The maternal concern Eragon had noticed earlier sprang forth once again at the mention of Arya.

"What she did during the battle."

"She isn't hurt, is she?" Islanzadi's face grew slightly tenser as she asked her question.

Eragon smiled at her reaction. "I healed her wounds, although we would have both died without each other." He worded his statement so that it would provoke a more noticeable response from Islanzadi so he could confirm what he had noticed.

"What happened?" Islanzadi demanded. She was obviously irritated by Eragon's hesitance to tell her of her own daughter's predicament.

"We were attacked by a shade at Belatona." The queen gasped, which was something that Eragon had rarely seen an elf do. Eragon assumed that Islanzadi would take the mention of a shade very badly, seeing as how only three warriors in all of history has survived the slaying of a shade. _Well, _he corrected himself. _Four now._

"How many died?" she asked, already assuming the worst had occurred.

Another smile found its way onto Eragon's face; he was amused by Islanzadi's pessimism. "The shade killed nobody. You have your daughter to thank for that." A hint of pride colored Eragon's voice as he spoke of Arya's accomplishment.

Islanzadi scowled at Eragon. "How could you allow Arya to face a shade alone? You are the Shadeslayer, you should have fought him!" Her voice had grown to a shout by the end.

Eragon wasn't perturbed by her sudden outburst, as he knew that she was just concerned for Arya. He chose his next words in an attempt to disarm the queen and once again bring civility back to their conversation. "I fought alongside your daughter, as I always do. However, it was her who dealt the final blow to the shade and earned the title of Shadeslayer. Be proud of her, Islanzadi. Arya has accomplished a great feat."

"I am proud," the elf whispered, quietly enough so that only Eragon could hear. "You and her make quite the team, two shades now. Incredible."

"Thank you, your highness."

"And you are sure that she isn't wounded?" the queen asked insistently.

"I saw to it personally."

"Good, good. I need to speak with you privately later on, but we still have a few things to discuss with Nasuada." Islanzadi seemed to be thankful for his actions of behalf of her daughter, and Eragon wondered what exactly she wanted to discuss privately with him. His head told him it would be about the Lead Rider position, but his heart said it was personal.

Since both Eragon and Islanzadi has stopped talking Nasuada said, "Well then, on to other business. Winter is quickly approaching. We have agreed that the Varden will capture Belatona before winter and we will wait out the season inside the city. The elves will stay at Gil'ead until after winter when they will converge upon Dras Leona with us and together we shall destroy it." Islanzadi nodded, confirming Nasuada's words.

Eragon thought the strategy was acceptable, albeit with a few hesitations on the part of the elves remaining stationary for so long, but he was curious about his master's fates. "What will be done with Oromis and Glaedr?" 

"We will preserve their bodies and you will join us for winter. The Varden won't have a need for you at that point and then we can conduct a proper ceremony for them. Arya must be present as well."

Eragon nodded in agreement. The plan seemed to suit everyone's needs reasonably well. Before he took his leave he had two things left to account for. First he said, "So since it'll take us weeks to reach Belatona, I suppose you won't mind if I decide to do little to nothing in terms of aiding the Varden, unless Murtagh should appear."

Nasuada looked at him strangely. "Do you not mean to help the Varden?"

"I do, but I also want to enjoy my life. I may only have a few months to live, you know this." Eragon dipped his head slightly as he realized just how short his life could be cut if a few simple things went wrong.

"Just stay close enough to the Varden to help if Murtagh and Thorn appear, other than that it is your choice. I no longer have authority over you, Saphira, or the elves. Do as you like." Eragon was surprised at Nasuada's words. He hadn't expected her to go along so easily with his request. He intended to spend some time with Saphira and Arya to make up for all the time he had spent in Farthen Dur with the dwarves, and he had some catching up to do with Roran as well.

He gave Nasuada a small smile in thanks for her understanding and then asked Islanzadi, "When do you wish to speak with me in private?"

"Would this evening be a problem?"

"No, I'll contact you assuming nothing comes up. Goodbye Nasuada, Islanzadi." He didn't use any formalities or bow on his way out as he was now the lead rider, subordinate to no one. Eragon retreated from the tent and stretched, happy to be free from the stifling command tent and Nasuada's grasp.

He glanced up in the sky looking for Saphira, but was disappointed when he didn't find her. Eragon sighed and told Blodhgarm to return to his tent before dashing off in the direction of the trees he had mentioned to Islanzadi. He wanted to see Arya, and see how she was doing. She had taken the deaths of Oromis and Glaedr pretty hard the day before.

It took him only a few minutes to run to where he suspected Arya would be. Once he entered the group of trees he slowed his pace and walked silently, not intending to disturb any of the animals or Arya if he was to find her. He searched for a few minutes before he saw a figure sitting on the ground in the distance.

He approached cautiously and was pleased to see Arya. She hadn't noticed him so he kept his distance and attempted to assess her condition so he didn't say anything stupid and get himself in trouble again. His head snapped towards Arya as he heard a very low, almost imperceptible sob.

Without waiting any longer Eragon strode to Arya's side and sat down beside her. Her eyes looked somewhat puffy from crying and she still had several tears rolling down her cheeks. Eragon was taken aback by her state; he had always known her to be a strong elf. The show of emotion that he was receiving was very uncharacteristic. He said nothing, waiting for her to speak.

Eventually his patience was rewarded as she whispered, "I miss them, Eragon. You wouldn't know how close I was to Oromis. He was virtually a father to me. I know you lost your father in this war, but I'm not sure you know what it's like to lose him twice."

In an equally quiet voice he said sadly, "I've lost my father three times, Arya. I know how it feels."

"Three?"

"Garrow, Brom, Oromis." 

"I'm sorry." She finally looked at him. Eragon gulped, her words did little to ease the blanket of pain that was wrapped around his world.

After a moment he looked down and was surprised to see that he and Arya had unconsciously clasped hands while they sat. He could see Arya's tears still flowing, narrow rivers of water coursing down her soft face. The sight brought more pain to him than even the deaths of Oromis and Glaedr.

They sat together, hands clasped, for a long, long while. Eragon assumed that Saphira had returned to camp and decided to let them be alone. Partway through the afternoon Eragon felt a slight pressure on his shoulder which caused him to look down. He was amazed to see Arya's head resting comfortably and a peaceful look on her face, which was exactly the opposite of what he had expected to see based on her earlier sadness.

Eragon released Arya's hand and instead wrapped his arm around her. He could feel her tension lessen by his touch, which perplexed him beyond measure. Eventually their silence was broken when Eragon said, "I spoke with your mother today."

He felt Arya tense slightly against his side so he gently squeezed with his arm. To his surprise his action caused her to relax a bit. He asked, "What did she say?"

"Would you prefer if I told you, or showed you?"

Arya's eyes twinkled slightly. "Show me."

Eragon extended his mind towards Arya's and gently brushed against her barriers, which he found to be in ruins. Her distress had obviously caused her to lose her concentration and make it impossible to maintain barriers around her consciousness. Eragon was grateful that he was there, for if she was attacked by a magician in that state she would almost definitely be overwhelmed.

In her mind he could feel satisfaction. He didn't track the emotion and find out where it originated, but his curiosity was answered a moment later when she adjusted herself slightly against his shoulder, sending another wave of contentment through her mind.

Eragon showed her his memory of his meeting with Nasuada. He could feel a mixture of emotions coming from her. Happiness when he was released from the bonds of fealty and declared the Lead Rider, amusement at her mother's reaction to his odd teasing, but more than anything else he felt a longing her in, a longing to share a relationship with her mother.

He murmured a condolence as he felt her emotions and she looked up at him with a slight hint of gratitude. "Would you mind if I was there with you when you contacted her later today?"

'When have I ever minded you spending time with me?" Arya smiled slightly at the implications of what he said, and he could tell that she was proud of him for not trying to woo her like he could have so easily attempted.

The two sat together, gazing at the wildlife until the sun had begun to touch the horizon. Arya finally stood up. "We should return to the tents." Reluctance laced her voice.

"Aye." He stood up next to her and was amazed when she took his right hand and again wrapped it around her, lying her head on his shoulder like he was a pillow. Something in Eragon made him feel slightly guilty from the contact, as he knew that it was born out of a desire for comfort, not a desire for companionship in the way he wanted. He felt as if he was taking advantage of Arya's situation for his own pleasure.

Apparently they had forgotten to separate minds earlier in the afternoon because Arya whispered in his thoughts, _You are so sweet…You've grown quite a bit since your blunders in Ellesmera. Don't feel guilty, your presence is soothing._

_You honor me._

Neither Eragon nor Arya noticed the surprised looks that the Varden had as they walked through the camp in such an unlikely position. Arya lifted her head from his shoulder when she noticed a woman glaring at her with jealousy. He hastened to do the same with the arm he had wrapped around her but she tightened her arm against her side, pinning his hand in place.

Eragon was bemused by her sudden desire to be so close to him, but he didn't press the matter, especially not in front of all the Varden. They soon arrived at Eragon's tent and even a couple of the elves gave them slightly surprised or amused looks. Eragon ignored them and pushed the midnight blue flap aside, granting him and Arya entrance to his tent.

Once inside he muttered, "Brisingr." A candle burst into flames and he rummaged around through one of his bags, looking for his mirror. With a pleased expression he stepped back and placed his mirror on a table in front of him and Arya. He murmured the scrying spell and Queen Islanzadi soon appeared in the mirror.

The queen looked surprised to see them together; she had after all requested to speak with Eragon alone. As if in explanation Eragon said, "She wanted to talk to you as well."

To Arya Islanzadi said, "I'll contact you as soon as I finish with Eragon then? I have things to say to both of you, so it should work out fine."

Eragon noticed that Arya had a slightly confused look, but she nodded and said, "Very well, mother. I shall speak with you soon."

As Arya began to walk away Eragon grabbed her hand below the table, out of sight of the elf queen. She turned and eyed him oddly, as if wondering if he would make another mistake. In a whisper so that Islanzadi wouldn't hear he said, "If you need anything, or you are feeling sad like you were today, come to me. Don't face your problems alone."

She held his gaze for a long moment, as if determining his true intentions before she nodded ever so slightly and gave him a small smile. She walked out of the tent as she released his hand and let it fall back to his side.

Eragon turned back to the mirror where Islanzadi waited. He was a bit surprised when Islanzadi had her eyebrows raised and was staring at him curiously. He took the liberty of returning the gesture and waiting for her to speak, for she had, after all, asked to speak with him, not the other way around. 

After staring at him for a moment later she said, "I wanted to talk to you about Arya."

"What about her?" Eragon hoped that Islanzadi wouldn't get mad at him for something regarding his behavior with Arya. He wasn't even sure just how much Islanzadi knew about his feelings for Arya or their past encounters. Whatever the queen knew, problems were sure to arise when she found out that he was in love with her daughter.

"Is she…happy, Eragon?" the queen asked tentatively.

"Why would you ask me for this?" he asked, trying to determine her reasons for asking before he actually gave a reply. A careless response could have placed him at the mercy of the queen in such a situation.

"Your guards speak very highly of your close friendship, Eragon. And according to them some of the Varden think you are a couple. While I know that this is not true, as I trust my daughter would inform me of such an occurrence, I thought that you would know." 

Eragon was a bit troubled when he heard about what the Varden thought of him and Arya. It would no doubt anger her if she heard it. Deciding that the queen's intentions were just he said, "No, she is not. Just before I came here I found her crying out in the forest. It took all afternoon to comfort her and I still don't think it worked. Even excluding that, do you think that someone who walks around like her would be happy? She is closed off from the world due to her losses. I'm trying to help but it isn't easy."

Islanzadi frowned. She asked a blunt question, "Do you love her? Truly love her?"

Eragon was taken aback by the queen's forwardness with him. It was not like her to ask such a question, then again she had been acting rather strangely towards him. He decided to reply truthfully to hopefully avoid problems in the future concerning lies and shady behavior and said in the ancient language, "I do. I love her and I will love her until the end of my life." Eragon was taking a big risk by telling the queen of his feelings. She could react badly and cause him endless problems if she desired. He hoped that by speaking in the ancient language he would assure her that his heart was true and he wasn't just in love with her because of her appearance. 

"You do realize what you just did," Islanzadi whispered. He had bound himself to Arya in the ancient language, even if she didn't return his love.

"Yes," he said with a small smile.

"You are a rare man…" Islanzadi said. She paused as she seemed to remember something. Eragon guessed it had to do with Evandar, her dead mate. In a sad voice the queen said, "I take it that Arya does not reciprocate your affection?" 

"No, she doesn't," he said, just as sadly.

"There was a time when she would have. There was a time when she could sing, dance, and enjoy herself. I think that Arya would have loved you, Eragon. If you want my advice…" she offered. He gave a slight nod; any help at winning Arya's heart would make him happy. But more than advice he was relieved that the Queen appeared to approve of his suit with Arya, which gave him hope. "Then try to spend time with her. Make her cry for her losses and tell you of them. She will realize what she feels for you soon enough, you just have to show her that she can tell you anything."

"I really would prefer to not have her crying, it saddens me," he said, uncertain if making her cry would be within his power.

"Trust me," the queen said. "She will appreciate it, she hasn't even confided in me since we were reunited. I think you know more about her than I do. You are her only friend in this world, do not betray her."

"I would never," he swore in the ancient language. It surprised him that he was her only friend; he thought she would have a few elves from Ellesmera that she was somewhat close with.

"I'm glad to hear that, Eragon. I'm going to contact her now and ask her the same questions I asked you, but one thing you must do is wait for her to come around, don't go after her." The queen cut off the scrying spell, leaving Eragon curious as to why she was so eager to get him and Arya together.

_Who cares? Just be happy about it, _a voice said in his mind.

_Saphira! Where have you been? _He was pleased that she finally spoke to him again, the last time he heard her voice was earlier in the morning, which is a long time for a rider and dragon.

_Out flying around, letting you enjoy yourself with Arya. I watched you from above, and I was surprised. Your self control has developed considerably, _the dragon said proudly. Eragon smiled and accepted her praise silently.

--

Arya sat in her tent awaiting contact from her mother. She was a bit confused about what exactly her mother wanted to say to her that couldn't be said in front of Eragon, she had never been all that personal before. But more than that, she wondered what she wanted to say to Eragon that couldn't be said in front of her. She knew many of the secrets of the land, including things meant for Riders only, so why shouldn't she be told?

Her patience was rewarded as Islanzadi appeared in the mirror before her. The queen smiled at her and said, "Congratulations, Shadeslayer." Arya looked down in embarrassment, she didn't like titles and now she had a new one. Her mother quickly moved on and asked, "Arya, are you happy?" It was a general question that caught Arya off guard.

"I would say so, mother."

"Eragon seems to think otherwise," the queen said with a slight smile. "And so do I. What is it that you are sad about?"

"What did Eragon tell you?" Arya asked suspiciously, hoping that Eragon didn't betray her trust. If she told him something it didn't mean she wanted it floating around to other people, especially her mother in most cases.

Islanzadi laughed slightly at her daughters' suspicion of betrayal. "Don't worry he didn't tell me much anything, he is a loyal friend. I asked him if you were happy and he said that you were crying earlier today."

"That's correct," she confirmed emotionlessly. She was pleased to learn of Eragon's hesitance to tell her mother personal things, especially without her consent. The knowledge made her know that she would feel more comfortable confiding in him in the future, knowing that he would honor her desire for silence upon the subjects discussed.

"And how did you get over it?" her mother asked insistently.

Arya was confused about what exactly her mother was trying to say but she decided to play along and answer truthfully. "Eragon comforted me."

"Through words or feelings, my daughter?'

"We didn't say much. He sat with me for a long, long time and I began to feel slightly better."

"And what do you feel for Eragon?" Islanzadi persisted.

"I think of him as a friend," Arya said simply. "He has already tried to pursue me in the past, but I rejected him. It was the night of the Agaeti Blodhren, when he was changed. He promised to not pursue me again in such a manner."

"So you're still sad about Faolin?"

"Yes, and now Oromis and Glaedr as well. You know that they were my last friends in this world. Who do I have left?" Arya asked softly, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks.

"You still have me, but I doubt that is much comfort to you right now," Islanzadi said regretfully. Arya nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak. Her mother sighed and added, "Arya, I wasn't there for you like I should have been, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you and I want you to be happy." Arya met her mothers' gaze, surprised by her straightforwardness. "Eragon has always been there for you, maybe you do feel something for him but you don't realize it…" 

"No, Eragon is eighty years younger than me, it is not possible."

"Not probable, always possible. I watched you when you were in Ellesmera, when you were around Eragon you started to come out of your shell and enjoy the world again. His guards speak highly of your friendship with him; they say that you are like a different person in his presence." Islanzadi sighed when Arya didn't reply. In a suggestive tone she said, "I'm not telling you to go tell him that you love him, Arya. That would be unfair. I'm just asking you to spend time with him as you are right now, and I'm telling you that you will feel better once you do. You know it in your heart to be true."

"Possibly…" Arya admitted. "I do feel better after talking with him. Maybe tomorrow I'll go and see him again, but I don't believe that I have feelings beyond friendship for him."

"Perhaps that is the case," Islanzadi said, still determined to convince Arya to side with Eragon. "However, if you do start to feel something more, don't let the past hold you back. Faolin would want you to move on with your life and enjoy yourself, even if it wasn't with him."

Another tear came to Arya's eyes as she heard her mother describe Faolin's feelings. What troubled her more was that she was right. Faolin never liked to see Arya saddened, and he had once told her that if he was to die he wanted her to be happy, not sad. Convinced that she shouldn't openly agree to her mother's request quite yet she said, "I will keep that in mind, mother. Is there anything else?"

Islanzadi seemed to consider Arya's words from several angles before nodding and proceeding with their discussion. She asked, "Are you aware of what occurred the meeting with Eragon and Nasuada today?"

"Eragon showed me his memory of the meeting. I know that we are to spend the winter in Gil'ead, and I am aware of the Varden's decision to capture Belatona and use it as a shelter during the winter." Arya noticed that her mothers' expression shifted into that of grim amusement at her words.

"That is all then," Islanzadi confirmed. She hesitated, seemingly unsure of herself, before adding, "You know, Arya. It took me one hundred long years to finally realize what I told you today, about love and life. What I tell you is from experience. I may not have been given a second chance in love, but you have been. I just want you to be happy, that is all."

"I know, mother," Arya whispered, truly touched by her mothers' care towards her. She wouldn't have expected it, even after her previous stay in Ellesmera.

Mother and daughter exchanged farewells and Arya cut off the scrying spell. She lay down on her cot and thought about what her mother had told her, about how she should embrace Eragon's love for her rather than push him away. Her thoughts were occupied by memories of love and happiness as she fell into her waking dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Rematch

Eragon sat upon Saphira's back, just behind one of the neck spikes. They had decided to take a short flight at sunrise to observe the new day from up in the sky. The giant-flame-ball-sun, as Saphira called it, was beginning to rise and it bathed the plains around Feinster with a golden glow.

Saphira roared and released a jet of fire as she did a corkscrew above the Varden. Eragon smiled at her exuberance; there was no experience that could rival the joy of flying with a dragon.

He glanced down and noticed many of the Varden beginning to move towards the designated sparring area for their daily practice. _I think I'll visit the training grounds._

Saphira snorted, irritated that her Rider would be leaving her back. In an attempt to keep him with her she said, _I'm not going to land, I'm too lazy._

_Very well then, my queen of the skies, _Eragon teased. He unhooked the leg straps and jumped off of his dragon as she soared over the sparring grounds. On the way down he contacted Blodhgarm and informed him of his new location.

Below Eragon could see the Varden looking up at him with shock and fear, their symbol of hope was falling to his death. When he began to near the ground he whispered, "Letta."

He only fed a small portion of energy into the spell at first, which he added to as he neared the ground. The result of such regulation was that his fall slowed at a comfortable pace and he touched down on the ground without the slightest discomfort. And, because he had used Saphira's own energy for his spell, he wasn't tired out at all.

_I'll get you back for that later._ He knew that she didn't mind the energy loss, but he also knew that she wanted to fly and was endlessly disappointed by Eragon's decision to abandon her for lesser humans.

Eragon had to attempt to save himself from future retribution from Saphira. The result of such attempts was, _Oh just enjoy yourself up there, now you can do what you want without fear of knocking me off. _She snorted and proceeded to engage in complicated aerial maneuvers to show off.

Eragon tore his gaze from her, a small smile upon his face. It was then he realized that the entire training ground was looking at him, wonder plain on their faces. And, standing apart from the crowd, was Arya.

Her sword was drawn and she held it pointed downwards at her side. A slight smile showed on her face, and in her eyes he noticed anticipation. Eragon had wanted a rematch of their fight in Farthen Dur for a while, but he had never gotten around to asking Arya. Now, however, they were both in the right place at the right time.

Just then Eragon's guards shoved their way through the crowd and formed a protective perimeter around Eragon and Arya, smiles on their faces as they saw the expressions both of them held.

Eragon unsheathed Brisingr slowly and held it by his side, mirroring Arya. The field had grown deathly quiet, most of the warriors, including the elves, had either witnessed or heard about their duel in Farthen Dur. Everyone knew that Arya had already defeated Eragon once, but that was over a year before.

In unison he and Arya raised their blades and guarded the edges, despite all their self control and strength they knew that it would be easy for someone to get injured in the fight that was about to occur.

By then over half the Varden had crowded around to watch the fight of the Shadeslayers. Eragon was surprised to see Nasuada and King Orrin standing near Roran, surrounded by Nighthawks.

_I bet you weren't expecting this when you jumped off my back. _He was surprised at Saphira's words, but he smiled through it and ignored the glee in her voice.

_No, I didn't. But I can't say that I'm disappointed, this is going to be fun! _ Saphira landed on the outskirts of the field and snaked her head over the Varden to watch the fight.

Nobody looked at the dragon above them; all eyes were focused on the two motionless warriors staring each other down on the field of battle. As if they could read the others' mind, both Eragon and Arya leapt forward at the same time, putting their full strength behind their first strokes.

Their swords collided and sparks erupted from collision. Their strengths were equal. The Varden gasped as they saw that their swords were crossed perfectly between them, neither one with a millimeter of advantage on the other.

After a moment of attempting to overpower Arya Eragon jumped back, allowing the force behind Arya's stroke to suddenly push forward. She wasn't expecting him to retreat and she stumbled forward slightly. Eragon seized the opportunity and slashed crossways at Arya's side, but the slash was dodged as Arya rolled behind Eragon.

Just as Arya raised her sword to strike Eragon in the leg he sprang up and back, doing a flip over Arya and landing softly behind her. Arya spun around and slashed at Eragon's chest with supernatural speed. Eragon blocked the blow smoothly and once again their swords were crossed between them, this time not with the force that they had before.

Upon unspoken consent they both stepped back for a brief moment. Eragon stole a glance at the elves and noticed them watching the two with amazement, which was enough to make Eragon feel tingly inside. To amaze an elf was to accomplish a great feat.

Without warning he charged at Arya again. He slashed crossways, which was blocked, and followed with a quick slash to her head, which she ducked under. Eragon knew that Arya would target his legs, as they were the most open spot for her to attack from her position.

In anticipation of her attack he sprang up, dodging the sweeping blow Arya had launched, and at the same time landing behind her. He swung his blade at her head from behind but was surprised as she reached over her shoulder and parried the blow.

They proceeded to slash quickly, sacrificing power for speed, and together they danced before the Varden. At times their faces would be inches apart, both struggling to overpower the other, and an instant later there would be a large gap between them as they stepped back for a slight breather.

They blocked, parried, jumped, ducked, and rolled for over half an hour without either of them scoring a hit on their opponent. When at least they stepped back the Varden and elves cheered enthusiastically. The battle was easily at least a hundred times more intense than their duel of epic proportions in Farthen Dur.

"You've improved," Arya said loud enough for most of the Varden to hear her.

Eragon grinned. "Of course. Shall we get back to business then?"

Arya gave him a nod of affirmation and the crowd redoubled their cheering as they realized that the fight had only begun. This time it was Arya who charged at Eragon. She seemed to have more intensity than during their first round as she was able to slide past Eragon's defenses in only a matter of moments and slash him across his right wrist, breaking the bone.

Before she could take advantage of his weakness he used his other arm to grab her sword arm and he kicked her away. Brisingr had been tossed off a good thirty yards from the impact of Arya's blade. The Varden gasped as they thought the battle was over, Eragon had his fighting wrist broken.

He smiled at Arya through the pain, surprised by her ferocity and strength. Eragon raised his left palm and intoned, "Brisingr, gath un lam iet!" The sword wiggled on the ground and suddenly flew towards Eragon's outstretched palm. He caught the flaming sword gracefully and spun it by his side, getting a feel for his new situation.

The Varden cheered once again as Eragon regained his weapon. He cut the flow of energy to the sword and attacked Arya, this time holding nothing back. Arya was caught off guard by Eragon's change in style, for a left hand style of fighting was far different than a right hand. In only a few minutes he managed to slip past her guard and smash the flat of his blade against the hilt of her sword while she was in the process of a two handed blow. She yelped softly in pain as Eragon's sword broke eight of her fingers and both of her wrists, rendering her unable to fight.

Not wishing to prolong her pain Eragon flicked Brisingr up to her neck, officially ending the match. The Varden roared with approval, shouting words of encouragement to both of them and telling them how great they both were. Saphira roared and released a bright jet of flame over the heads of Eragon and Arya. Eragon noticed little of what the Varden said; he was only focused on Arya's wounds.

In his left hand he grasped both of her broken hands. He muttered a complex spell that would heal both his and her wrists. Eragon felt somewhat guilty about hurting her so badly, even though she did break his own wrist.

The spell was over almost instantly, but it still hurt as the bones snapped back into place and the joints were healed. Eragon handed Arya her sword and she accepted in gracefully, returning it to the sheath on her belt.

She gave him a wide smile and he laughed, despite all the people around them. Eragon noticed Nasuada, Orrin, and Roran approaching them. Before they arrived Eragon whispered, "Sorry for hurting you that badly." 

"It is fine, I wasn't exactly gentle to you either," she replied. He was glad that she wasn't angry with him. To his surprise she added, "Thanks for healing me."

"Anytime," he said, pleased that she was grateful for his assistance. Just a few months before she would have been angry at him for, as she would have called it, 'treating her like a human woman'.

Nasuada, Orrin, and Roran reached Eragon at that point. Roran clasped Eragon on the shoulder and said with awe, "I was thinking about asking you to duel, but I'll pass after watching that fight."

"It was truly incredible," Orrin added, grinning like a child who had gotten what he wanted from his mother. Nasuada smiled at Eragon and Arya as well, but didn't say anything.

Saphira pushed her way through the crowd towards where the group was standing. Before anyone could say anything else Saphira swiped at Eragon's legs, knocking him off his feet. The dragon pinned him to the ground and started to lick him mercilessly.

Embarrassment flooded Eragon's cheeks as everyone that could see started laughing, including Arya and Nasuada. Through his elven hearing Eragon noticed Nasuada whisper to Orrin, "And that's why I'm thankful that I don't have a dragon."

Saphira instantly released Eragon and snaked her head over to Nasuada. Eragon almost rolled over laughing at the horrific expression Nasuada had as she realized what was coming her way. Orrin carefully edged away. Saphira had a wide grin upon her massive chops.

Eragon walked over to Arya as Saphira swung her tail across the ground, knocking Nasuada over. He noticed the Nighthawks attempt to come to Nasuada's aid, but the elves blocked them. The elves knew Saphira wouldn't hurt Nasuada, only embarrass her.

The crowd watched with open mouth amazement as Saphira started licking Nasuada as she had been doing to Eragon. Nasuada started laughing and yelling at Saphira, begging her to stop, which only brought more laughter to Eragon and Arya who were standing off to the side.

He beckoned to Arya and she followed him as he walked over to Nasuada. He knelt beside her and said with a wide smile, barely containing his laughter long enough to talk, "And that's what happens when you make a joke at Saphira's expense.

"I promise I wo-" her words were cut off as Saphira's tongue slid over her face once more. Eragon heard Arya start laughing again from behind him, and he was tempted to join her. He had never expected to get such an opportunity with Nasuada; he would have to thank Saphira later.

_Alright Saphira, that's enough, _he said to the dragon. She backed away slightly and the sounds of stones grinding against each other filled the field as the dragon laughed.

Eragon grabbed Nasuada's hand and helped her up, trying not to laugh at her mortified expression. He was a little surprised when she said good naturedly, "I suppose we all need a bit of embarrassment every so often. I didn't expect it to come in that form…ah no matter. Eragon and Arya, well done in your duel this morning. I have an optional mission for you if you wouldn't mind."

"What's the mission?" Eragon asked, growing serious. Arya looked on with an impassive gaze, apparently considering Nasuada's words carefully.

"You and Arya would leave today or tomorrow and you would run ahead of the Varden and scout the area. Roran and his company are leaving today to go raid a supply train. If you want, I will put you in command of the mission and Roran will be your first officer."

"Why?"

"You should get some experience with commanding troops, and this is as good a time as any. Since you didn't have any plans for the next few weeks you wouldn't mind helping me out every so often, would you?"

Eragon glanced at Arya, uncertain if she wanted to embark on a mission such as that with him. She nodded ever so slightly in affirmation. Even so, he still hesitated. Going on a scouting mission with Roran would leave him away from Saphira for a few days, that wasn't something he wanted.

_Go, _Saphira said. _It would do good to placate Nasuada and the Varden, especially so soon after being released from your oath. I'll be fine._

With a long sigh Eragon nodded his and Arya's acceptance. Nasuada smiled and gave them the precise details of the mission. They were to leave at midday; he and Arya would meet Roran at the north gate and proceed from there.

When Nasuada had finished going over the details of the mission with Eragon and Arya he jumped onto Saphira's back, eager to take to the skies. Saphira waited for a moment, glancing expectantly at Arya. The elf hesitated; she glanced around and then shrugged. With a single graceful movement Arya jumped onto Saphira's back and took a seat behind Eragon.

"I thought you might want to fly with us before we leave," Eragon whispered to her. He recalled that she seemed to enjoy flying, even if it was only during battles in which it usually happened.

"I couldn't think of something I'd enjoy more," the elf replied, wrapping her arm around Eragon's waist as Saphira reared in preparation for take-off.

Saphira launched herself into the air, battering all the onlookers with powerful gusts of wind, and climbed high, far higher than Arya had ever gone. Before Saphira did anything that would scare Arya Eragon told her, "I'll warn you now, before she does something fun, that flying with us today will be different than any previous experience you have had. When people aren't shooting arrows at us we enjoy doing a wide variety of tricks and maneuvers." He felt Arya stiffen slightly against him and a hint of regret entered his thoughts as he realized that he should have told her about that before she had gotten on.

"Well, nothing too fancy," Arya murmured, apparently now a bit afraid. As if in response to her fear Saphira stopped her ascent. Eragon looked down to see a slight dot below them, Feinster. Saphira had climbed so high up that the city below them had shrank to only a barely visible dot on the plains below.

Eragon saw Arya look down as well and as soon as she realized what she was looking at her arm instantly tightened around Eragon, almost making it impossible for him to breathe. Without giving Arya any time to try and collect her bearings Saphira snapped her wings shut and plummeted downward, gaining speed with each passing second.

Arya frantically wrapped her other arm around Eragon and held on for her life. She did something Eragon had never expected to hear from her, she screamed. He hadn't thought that there was a thing in the world that could elicit such a strong reaction from her, but apparently he had found it.

Saphira continued to plummet towards the ground below. By then the city had become clearly visible and Eragon could make out the people scurrying about within its walls. He almost laughed as people started to look up and their expressions changed to awe as Saphira dived towards the city at full speed.

Arya stopped screaming as she realized that she was safe while holding on to Eragon, but that didn't change how afraid she was. At the last moment Saphira snapped her wings open and flapped three times, slowing their fall. She locked her wings and rotated her body so that she was parallel to the ground, using all of the speed that she had developed through the dive to skim over the top of Feinster at a speed that she and Eragon rarely dared to move at. One single error in Saphira's flying could cost them their lives and result in Galbatorix's victory.

Eventually, after several passes over the cheering Varden, Saphira began to fly back up into the sky, but this time she stayed at a reasonable altitude so as not to scare Arya too much. Eragon felt Arya loosen her grip slightly as Saphira leveled out and began to fly leisurely once again. She let out a small sigh, apparently relieved that she was alive to tell the tale of the epic dive she had just experienced.

Finally finding the words to speak Arya said, "That was insane, never do that to me again!" Saphira barrel rolled to the left and Arya let out a slight shriek in surprise, tightening her grip on Eragon once again.

Eragon started laughing, unable to control himself any longer. The sheer amount of emotion Arya had been displaying had overwhelmed him, it was completely uncharacteristic, but he liked it. He enjoyed finally being able to talk to Arya as a person and a friend.

His thoughts were interrupted as a hand struck his face. The impact caused Eragon to lean sideways for a brief moment before he regained his composure. He turned around and looked at Arya with a questioning face. She had slapped him, hard.

"That wasn't funny," she said, as if that explained the entire situation, which it did. She never liked anyone laughing at her. He knew it made her very self conscious and uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," Eragon said truthfully. "It's just your reaction was so unexpected…and worth it."

"Eragon!" she exclaimed, raising her hand threateningly. He quickly raised one of his arms as if to fend off a blow, but lowered it when he realized she was only teasing him.

"Now _that _isn't funny," he grumbled as Arya started laughing. He looked down and saw that there were several men scurrying about at the northern gate, apparently getting ready for some mission.

Realizing that time was short he had Saphira head towards Arya's tent. When she inquired as to their change in course he said, "Our time is running out, Saphira is headed to your tent so you can pack for the mission. We'll be back as soon as I grab my things."

"Ah," was Arya's only response. He wasn't able to tell if she was pleased or angry about their mission, but he was put at ease as he remembered that she agreed to it, so it wasn't him forcing her to do something.

Saphira landed softly in front of Arya's tent and she immediately jumped off. The elf waved at Eragon as Saphira jumped back into the air, leaving her standing alone in front of her tent. To Saphira Eragon said, _Why do you think she agreed to this mission? _

_She would never bother to go on such a petty errand unless she had a personal interest associated with it, _Saphira said, leaving Eragon to figure out what exactly she meant.

_Me? _he asked. _She is going to keep an eye on me?_

He felt Saphira mentally sigh, obviously annoyed by how oblivious he was to something she considered to be obvious. With a slight snort she said, _Not to keep an eye on you, Eragon. After what Islanzadi said to you last night I would think it's because she wants to spend time with you, I doubt you will even do anything but travel on this mission. From what I saw in your thoughts you plan on tagging along in case Roran gets in trouble, not actually interfering or commanding on your own._

_That's true, _he murmured. He had decided that he would leave Roran in command and he and Arya would just follow him. Eragon wanted to spend some time with his cousin, and he wanted to make sure he was safe. This way he accomplished both, and he didn't have the extra burden of commanding to deal with. Whether Nasuada knew it or not, he was fully capable of commanding troops if the occasion arose.

Saphira glided down to a smooth landing before his tent. Eragon hurried inside and gathered the few things that he would be bringing on his little journey. He decided to travel light; his pack contained only his armor, a bedroll, some food, and a few small items. He trusted Saphira and the elves to keep his tent safe while he was gone, and to move his possessions while the Varden marched.

He walked out of his tent with a pack slung over his shoulders. Saphira had a strange look on her face and she was staring at him intently. He knew why she was upset; only once before had they been separated for any period of time and during that period she had been extremely displeased.

Eragon walked up to Saphira and touched his forehead to her snout affectionately. She hummed softly and said in his mind, _Don't be too long. If you are not back in one week I'm coming after you. I won't allow us to be separated by some volunteer mission._

_You can always contact me, _he reminded her, pleased that she cared so much for him. _We won't be that far away, it shouldn't be a problem to contact each other._

_Take my Eldunari, _Saphira insisted.

_No._ Eragon was shocked by her demand. _It's too great a risk. We will be fine. Don't do something that you know you will regret in the future._

She eyed him carefully. Eventually she snorted and said, _I would regret losing you without speaking to you for as long as possible more than I would regret not having my Eldunari, but under the circumstances you are right. We will be fine._

_Yes, _he said encouragingly, pleased that she didn't force him to take her heart. In an attempt to further placate her he said, _I have Glaedr with me. I will not be short on energy, nor will I be without a dragon to offer advice if necessary. And I also have Arya, she will watch over me. Do not worry, Saphira, I'll be fine. _Her only response was a slight nudge, urging him to go.

Before he hopped onto her back Eragon gave Blodhgarm a few instructions on what he was supposed to do while he was gone. Satisfied that all was in order and that he had solved the problem of him and Saphira being lonely, he jumped onto his dragon's back. Saphira roared and took off instantly, heading towards Arya's tent. As soon as she landed Arya walked out and hopped on behind Eragon, signaling Saphira to take off again.

Saphira took to the skies one last time and angled towards the northern gate. She didn't say anything more to Eragon or Arya as she landed next to Roran's group and dropped them off. Apparently she didn't wish to prolong their parting as she immediately flew west, presumably to hunt or bathe in the river.

He and Arya walked towards the group of humans gathered around Roran. All of them were on horses and a smile came to Eragon's face as he saw Roran's steed, Snowfire. Snowfire struggled against the reigns in Roran's hand as he saw Eragon, eager to be reunited with an old friend. He eventually managed to break free from Roran's grasp and gallop towards Eragon. It was then that Roran turned around and noticed the new arrivals, a hint of wonder on his face as he saw the horse charge straight at Eragon, yet somehow Roran seemed to know that Snowfire would never harm his cousin.

Eragon waved to Snowfire. The horse slowed and skidded to a stop before him. He eagerly nuzzled Eragon's side, pushing him into Arya. The elf laughed slightly at Snowfire's eagerness, for she had never really gotten to know the animal.

Snowfire calmed slightly as Eragon stroked him behind his ears and spoke a few words in the ancient language, instructing the horse to behave better. Eragon finally snatched the reigns up and guided Snowfire back towards Roran's group, where all the men were watching him with strange expressions. It wasn't often that a horse would behave so well or act so attached to anyone.

He ignored the stares the men were giving him and said to Roran, "I know that I am supposed to be in command of this mission, but I do not wish it. Arya and I are simply going to follow you and keep an eye out. You will proceed with your mission as if we weren't here and we wouldn't offer you assistance. Although," he hesitated. "If you need it, we will offer it."

Eragon noticed Arya giving him a barely noticeable smile; she knew what he was doing. The men murmured among themselves for a moment before Roran took control and shouted, "Enough daydreaming! Now that Eragon and Arya have arrived we will depart at once. Let's go!"

Roran hopped onto Snowfire's back but before he set off one of his men asked, "What of them?" He motioned to Eragon and Arya. "They have no horses, how will they keep up?"

Eragon almost laughed as Roran gave the man a strange look, and then shouted, "Ride!" All of the men, Eragon counted about thirty, immediately followed his orders and began riding north. Arya nodded to Eragon and they started off at a leisurely jog, easily keeping pace with the horses.

Eragon smiled as he saw four of Roran's men eyeing them oddly, as if in disbelief of their abilities. He surmised that they must not have been at the sparring field that morning, for anyone that was there wouldn't bother to doubt the abilities of an elf. For the remainder of the day they rode on at a constant pace. Many of the men chatted to one another as they rode, and Eragon exchanged a few words with Roran but in general he and Arya didn't say anything, except to each other. They simply observed.


	3. Chapter 3

A few things to say before this chapter: Clearing up what anyone has wondered about this book, I wrote the first like 4-5 chapters just to see how it would be if Islanzadi was nice and somewhat open about things. I had a few different ideas of what to do, and as I was writing I decided to go back on one of my plot-paths which is why you will find a random appearance in this chapter that alters E/A's mission. It's not because of bad writing, it's because I just didn't feel like re-writing the chapter when I could solve the situation far easier.

Chapter 3: Campfire

Roran had instructed his men to build a large campfire for the night. It had just been finished, and Eragon took a slight pleasure in knowing that he and Arya could have made the fire with little to no effort in a fraction of the time, but since they were not asked they didn't offer.

The sun had already set upon the plains and the only source of light was the massive fire before them. Eragon sat close to Arya on a short log, only big enough for the two of them.

Roran sat a small distance away from Eragon, near Carn; Eragon had made a point of learning all of their names. Many of the men were laughing and making jokes back and forth, enjoying themselves and their temporary freedom from military life.

Garth, who had apparently drunk quite a bit of their supply of mead, gestured to Eragon and asked, "So, Shadeslayer," he paused as he thought for a moment. He smiled and corrected himself, "Sorry, Shadeslayers, as it is now, what brings you on this mission with us? We have been told that you were to command it, but since that is not the case we wonder why you are here."

"To observe," Eragon said simply, he had no desire to elaborate on his statement, and Arya apparently shared that sentiment for she remained quiet next to him.

Garth asked a moment later, "What is it with elves? You're always so quiet and calm, never showing a hint of emotion nor a slight bit of sadness at the death of one of your comrades." 

Out of the corner of his eye Eragon noticed Arya tense slightly a hint of anger found its way on to her face. The other humans wouldn't notice, Eragon only did because of how often he studied her. Before she could say something to retort to Garth's words Eragon spoke. "I doubt you have ever gotten to know an elf properly. They display emotions, just not exactly the same way humans do. Right now I feel a whole slew of them; anger, fear, loss, sadness, amusement." 

"Fear?" someone else asked.

"Aye." He was somewhat surprised that Roran hadn't decided to intervene and stop his men from asking potential rude questions, but he really didn't mind. They had a right to feel as they did and he respected that, he only hoped that Arya wouldn't be offended by anything the men said.

"And you," Straven asked, motioning to Arya. "Do you know what it's like to be loved? Do you know what it is like to love?"

Arya slowly met Straven's gaze, and he shrank back slightly as he saw the anger burning in her eyes. Eragon could tell she was straining to control herself. "I know what it is like, do you?"

"I have a wife back at the Varden, that's probably more than you can claim," he challenged, angered by her retort.

"That's enough," Eragon interjected before Arya did something rash. "Arya lost the one she loved in the war, don't push such topics. I will not stand for it." Eragon noticed that Roran appeared to be hiding a slight smile, and he knew why. On their mission to Helgrind Eragon had told Roran of his feelings for Arya and how he had tried to pursue her, so it was only natural for Roran to be amused by him defending her so strongly.

"My apologies, I didn't know," Straven said, slightly humbled by Eragon's words.

"No, you didn't. Did you?" Arya said icily, causing a chill to go down Eragon's spine. He wriggled slightly and adjusted his position, moving his feet slightly closer to the fire.

Eragon was glad when Carn changed the topic by asking, "I'm quite curious, for I have never met a shade, what are they like? And how did you both manage to kill one, from my knowledge there have only been two others who have survived the feat in the history of elves and humans. What's your secret?"

Eragon glanced down, slightly embarrassed by the words he spoke. He said, "Arya distracted Durza in Tronjheim so I was able to slay him. We won that battle together; it was just I that dealt the final blow." 

"And the one you killed a few days ago?" Garth piped back up; apparently he had abandoned his previous topic and chosen to be a bit friendlier.

"Varaug…" Arya whispered. Her voice was colored with several emotions, but the strongest were anger, fear, and hate. "He was strong…so strong…" 

"Then how did you kill him?" Carn asked, talking only to Arya. It wasn't common knowledge that Eragon played a huge role in the death of the shade.

Arya patted Eragon's thigh slightly. "He had me by the throat; there was nothing I could have done. Eragon attacked him mentally, I'm sure only Carn will truly understand what that means, and managed to hold him at bay long enough for me to kill him. I really didn't do much anything."

"I wouldn't put it like that," Eragon said, trying to preserve her title in the eyes of the Varden. "I couldn't have killed him and fought him mentally at the same time, there were too many spirits."

This time Horst spoke up, he was sitting near Roran and Carn listening intently to what Eragon had been saying. "Something I've wondered, what's it like sharing a mind with someone for your entire life? I couldn't ever imagine it."

Even Arya looked at Eragon when Horst asked that, she seemed to have been wondering something similar. He sighed uncomfortably, fidgeting with the edge of his tunic. Eventually he managed to say, "It's not something that is easily described…Just think of having a very intelligent, blunt, and amusing second personality that is constantly giving you advice and saving you from problems. I can't think of any other way to describe it."

"So," Roran commented dryly. "Saphira saves you from problems does she?" 

"If you only knew," Arya muttered with barely controlled amusement. Several men laughed at her joke, those who knew slightly more about him.

"Okay what's that supposed to mean?" Eragon asked with distaste. He had never been one to take a joke all that great, and when Saphira wasn't around he felt especially vulnerable.

Arya shook his shoulder playfully and said, "This…Rider gets himself into so much trouble it's hard to believe at first. At least when Saphira is with him most of his bodyguards can rest slightly peacefully without worrying about him running off in the middle of the night to go duel someone." 

"He's done that?" Carn asked, amused.

"No," Eragon said gruffly. "Although I admit I do get into quite a few sticky situations when Saphira isn't around."

"Like…?" Carn urged him on, eager to find out more about the person who all of Alagaesia depended on.

"Well…there's me almost getting assassinated among the dwarves." Eragon wasn't which of the many events he should pick from.

The sound of slight snoring filled the clearing; apparently one of Roran's men, Garth, had fallen asleep. Eragon chuckled slightly and muttered a few spells that would quiet his irritating sounds. Ignoring the interruption Horst asked, "You almost got assassinated? Who would assassinate you?" 

Arya continued to watch him with interest, he was sure that she had been informed of the events through either Saphira or Nasuada, but she probably wanted some more information. He said, "Well seven," he paused. "I think it was seven…anyway seven dwarves ambushed me in the tunnels of Farthen Dur. This was back when I had a weaker human made sword and it broke almost instantly, leaving me with only a dagger to fight off a bunch of dwarf magicians, which was no small task. In the end I broke one of the dwarfs' lanterns, causing a massive explosion and killing the last attacker, but not after he had managed to kill one of my friends, Kvistor. Anyway the event led to the election of Orik as king so looking back on it I'm sort of grateful it happened, I just wish that Kvistor hadn't died."

Eragon was slightly surprised as Arya stroked his back gently, easing his discomfort with her touch. He doubted any of the humans noticed her actions, but it was still strange for her to be so open with him. He sighed and said, "I think I'm going to go for a quick walk, I'll be back shortly." He got up and walked off into the distance, and to his surprise he found Arya walking right next to him, lending the support of her company. After they had walked a decent way away from the humans she seemed to relax a bit more. They both sat down quietly in the dark, waiting for the other to talk.

Eragon eventually broke the silence by asking her, "So, why did you choose to follow me?" 

"I didn't want to be alone with those humans." Arya's words came with a slight hesitation. She quickly added, "Thank you for what you did tonight, making sure I didn't overreact to one of their statements. It saved me quite a great deal of embarrassment."

"Of course," he replied as if it was just an expected duty, nothing worthy of thanks. "I understand what you are going through and feeling, Arya. If you need something don't hesitate to ask."

"I wanted to kill that man, Straven," Arya admitted in a whisper. Eragon looked to his side to see a few, almost invisible, tears forming in her eyes, tears of guilt and anger. "He had no idea whereof he spoke; he had no idea what effect such simple words as his had on me." She met his gaze. "You know what I'm talking about, Eragon. That's why you stopped him, and probably saved him at the same time."

Eragon had no clue that Straven's words had meant that much to her, he had just thought she was angry for him questioning elves as a whole. He hadn't quite realized the personal depths that it extended to until that point. He half hesitantly rested on of his hands on her shoulder and said in as comforting a voice possible, "Don't worry, I won't let them say anything like that anymore." 

Arya tilted her head slightly, brushing his fingers against her cheek. "But what if you don't know? I haven't told you of many of my problems, what if they ask about something you don't know about?" 

"I can tell what vexes you by your appearance, Arya. You forget I spent an entire summer in Ellesmera trying to woo you, I grew quite accustomed to determining your state of mood just by simple appearance." 

That got a slight laugh out of Arya for she knew it was true. It seemed something good had indeed came from his unfortunate blunders in Ellesmera, for which he was grateful. She finally said, "Thank you for being here for me, especially when so many seem set against me."

Eragon slid his hand down from her shoulder and instead wrapped it around her, creating a more comfortable touch between them. In the ancient language he said to her, "Even if the whole world abandoned you I would still be here for you." Her mood seemed to lighten somewhat, and why wouldn't it? He had just sworn in the ancient language to always be there for her, she should be happy.

She laid her head on his shoulder contentedly and they stood together in the night, watching the stars peacefully.

--

"I think I'm going to take a quick walk, I'll be back shortly," Eragon said.

Roran was amused when Arya followed Eragon off into the night, leaving the humans alone around their campfire. Once he was sure they had walked far enough away so that they couldn't hear them he said, "They're not what you expected, are they?" 

"No," Carn admitted. "They seem so…sad."

"For all the benefits of being an elf it is also one of their greatest curses. They do not have a mortal end, they will live on indefinitely. Every mistake they make will haunt them for eternity, and every loss they experience will act the same," Roran explained to several of the men, especially those who had been interrogating Arya and Eragon so thoroughly.

"What losses could they possibly experience?" Garth asked dryly, still unconvinced that elves were good. He had obviously woken up from his momentary nap.

"If you're trying to get an emotional reaction out of them, just wait. You have no idea how much Eragon has lost in this war…no idea."

"Then tell me," Garth challenged.

"It is not my place," Roran whispered, uncomfortable with withholding information from his men. It didn't feel right. He almost felt as if he was betraying their trust by not telling them what he knew, yet at the same time he knew that the information was not meant for them.

"Fine then, I'll ask him," Garth said simply, apparently unafraid of the consequences if he phrased his question improperly. "And what of the girl, Arya? What could she have lost?"

"Okay," Roran said, growing impatient. "You can have your opinions and such, but I would _strongly _advise that you revise your perception of Arya. She is no mere 'girl'; she could pick you up with two fingers and toss you a hundred feet into the night if she wanted." Roran hoped that Garth would get the message and change his condescending tone towards the elves, for if he didn't there were bound to be problems later in the trip.

He was pleased as Horst backed him up. "I agree with Roran, Garth. You need to shut up. You clearly didn't see what most of us did this morning, the duel between those two. They are so much more powerful than any of us can possibly understand. With great power comes great responsibility, maybe that's why they seem more dull, they have to worry about so many other people's problems." 

"I never really though about it that way," Garth admitted. He still appeared unconvinced as a whole but Roran was satisfied that he wouldn't likely cause a huge problem by saying something foolish to Eragon, or more likely, Arya.

"Take it from me," Carn said. "I know many of you think I'm pretty powerful as a magician…but they're both hundreds of times more powerful than me. I can't even fathom what it would be like to be so powerful, to be able to hold people's lives in the palm of your hand."

Roran nodded, supporting what Carn had said. "You seem to forget that I grew up with Eragon. I spent fifteen years living with him and getting to know him, he is no monster or fiend. On the contrary, you have no idea the extents he goes to in order to ensure that he kills the fewest men possible in order to accomplish his goal. He willingly puts his life on the line to save even the most insignificant man lying in the street. One day you'll understand what we're saying, hell if you survive this war it is because he is there to save you. Do you honestly think any of us would be alive right now if Eragon didn't exist?"

"I suppose you're right-" Garth stopped talking as Eragon and Arya both returned together. Roran noticed that Arya seemed less tense and that Eragon looked a bit more peaceful than before They sat down on the log together and seemed to ignore the looks of confusion people were giving them.

"How do you move so silently?"

--

Eragon looked up at the man who had asked the question, Horst, one of his old childhood friends. He decided to give an honest answer, and why shouldn't he? "It comes from being an elf, I'm not exactly sure why."

"Interesting," he murmured, seeming disappointed by the answer. For the first time Eragon stopped for a moment to consider how many of the men under Roran's command were from Carvahall. He came up with roughly one third of them, quite a large percent of his group.

Fisk, whom Eragon remembered to be the carpenter, asked, "So, Eragon, are you finally courting someone? I seem to remember that you never got close to anyone in Carvahall." 

Eragon was slightly embarrassed by the question and nervous with Arya sitting next to him. In a calm and collected tone he said, "No, I'm not courting." 

"Anyone you're interested in?" another asked.

This time more of the men looked at Eragon with curiosity, interested to see if he fancied any of the women in the Varden. Eragon himself wasn't sure if Arya would appreciate him revealing their past problems to the group so he said simply, "There is one person."

"Nasuada?" one asked.

Eragon chuckled slightly. "No, not her."

"Then who?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Eragon replied teasingly, he wasn't going to tell them anything more about his personal life than he was forced to by their questions.

For the next few minutes Eragon had to repeat 'no' over fifty times as the men started naming off various noblewomen of the Varden and such, none of whom he was interested in. He glanced at Roran and observed that he was staying quiet so as not to slip up and tell everyone. Eragon nodded slightly in thanks, which Roran mimicked.

"It's her," Garth said, motioning to Arya with his hand. "Isn't it?"

_What do I say? _He asked Arya quickly.

She took a moment to respond, _I'm not sure. I would really prefer to not tell him, especially him, but I don't see a way around it._

He decided to lie and save Arya, and him, the embarrassment. "No," he told Garth simply. Everyone looked down with disappointed faces for they had thought that Garth had been right, after all Eragon had spent a much longer time considering his question than any other names.

Eragon felt a familiar presence approaching, which puzzled him. _Who could be out here at this time of night that I would know?_

He extended his mind southwards and to his surprise he found Saphira speeding towards them. As if in answer to his inevitable questions she said, _Nasuada thinks that you should remain with the Varden rather than running around with Roran on some insignificant mission, I agree. You are coming with me back to the Varden, she wants you to take some time off and relax, your earlier words had quite an effect on her apparently._

Eragon felt Arya giving him a strange look, for she undoubtedly sensed the presence as well. He told Saphira to land near him and cut off the connection. To Arya he whispered, "We're leaving, Saphira is on the way." 

"Why?" she asked, just as quietly.

"Apparently Nasuada thinks it is necessary for me to take a bit of time off and not go off on such a petty mission."

"Alright, when is Saphira going to arrive?"

"From her position I estimate only a few minutes, we should be ready to leave," he told her softly.

Garth had noticed their lips moving and he asked, "What are you whispering about over there?"

Eragon smiled at him for a moment before saying, "Nasuada wants me and Arya to return to the Varden. Good luck on your mission."

"What?" Roran asked, clearly confused.

Eragon simply shrugged as he felt Saphira grow closer and closer. The dragon roared and dove out of the sky, landing only a few feet behind Eragon and Arya. Dozens of curses and shouts echoed in the night as men reached for their weapons, and then returned them to their original positions as they realized that it was Saphira, not an enemy.

Both he and Arya stood up and jumped onto Saphira, eager to leave the men behind, especially Garth. Arya settled into position behind Eragon and wrapped one of her arms around his waist, holding him tightly as Saphira jumped into the sky.

_How long until we reach the Varden? _Arya asked Eragon and Saphira.

_Two or three hours, your group actually covered quite a distance today._

Eragon heard Arya yawn behind him and she laid her head on his back, using him as a pillow. He took note of her actions and said, "If you want to sleep you can sit in front, I'll make sure you don't fall."

She moved her head from his back and loosened her arm that was wrapped around him. "That would be a good idea, but how would we switch positions?"

Eragon turned around and placed both of his hands on either side of Arya's waist, picking her up effortlessly. He was surprised by how light she was, but he paid no heed as he slowly maneuvered her around him to sit in front. As Eragon set Arya down in front he scooted back slightly, making enough room for her to sit between him and the neck spike.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "Sleep Arya, I won't let you fall." She visibly relaxed from his words and leaned back against his chest, trusting him to keep her safe while she rested.


	4. Chapter 4

Pre-chapter notes: I remember this one being really fun to write, and it sort of had a spoof-type sense to it. I try to incorporate some humor into my writing, and this was the best way I could do it in the situation.

The song that appears about 2/3 of the way through the chapter is Without You by Breaking Benjamin.

Chapter 4: A Day With Arya

Eragon stood next to Saphira outside his tent. He had woken up a few minutes earlier and he had just finished freshening up. Usually Saphira would go off and do something in the morning if Eragon didn't mind so he wanted to talk to her for a moment before she left, which he accomplished.

Saphira said to him, _I am glad Nasuada made the choice that she did. I'll give you a bit of time to yourself while I go take a bath, a dragon has to stay clean._

Eragon grunted as she took off and flew away, leaving him standing near his twelve guards. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do for the day…especially since he hadn't made any plans or reservations with anyone.

With a slight shrug he decided to go and check on Arya to see if she slept well. Eragon began walking in the direction of Arya's tent, his guards following close behind. Nasuada had arranged so that Arya's tent would be pitched near Eragon and the other elves for convenience, something which Eragon was grateful for because he only had to carry Arya a short ways the previous night when he set her in her tent to rest.

It took only a few moments for Eragon and his guards to reach Arya's tent. Eragon knocked on the support pole and asked, "Arya?" 

"Come in, Eragon," she said, sounding surprised by Eragon's presence.

He pushed the tent flap open and walked inside, leaving his guards outside. As he entered he glanced around quickly, he hadn't gotten a good look at the inside of her tent the previous night, as it was pitch black when he had placed her in her bed.

Arya was sitting on her bed drinking a cup of tea. She motioned to a space beside her and he awkwardly sat down. She set her cup down and said, "I suppose I should thank you for pampering me last night, it was most appreciated." 

"Ah well," he said, looking down due to the reddening tip of his nose. "I knew that you hadn't really slept well for a few days so I thought you might appreciate uninterrupted sleep, apparently I was right." 

"Aye," Arya confirmed with a smile. She changed the subject and asked casually, "What are you planning on doing today?"

Eragon hesitated, unsure if she wanted to know what he was doing out of curiosity or because she had something that she wanted to do. He decided that he would leave room for ambiguity and said, "I had a few things in mind, but nothing important. What about you?"

"I have nothing scheduled." She looked up at him, "If you wanted, we could spend some time together, I would enjoy not being alone, for once." She spoke the last words with sadness and distaste, as if she despised how she lived and wanted something better.

Eragon noticed that her expression started to harden once again. He attempted to relieve some of her stress by saying, "You don't have to ever be alone. You can always come to me with any problem or any situation and I promise that I will be there for you." 

"Thank you," she said in a whisper. Silence dominated their conversation for a moment before Arya asked, "What exactly did my mother tell you a few nights ago?"

Eragon hesitated. He knew that Islanzadi must have told Arya that she should try and get close to him or something along those lines, but he wasn't sure if he should reveal exactly what she had said to him. A half truth presented itself to him and he decided to go with it, saying, "She asked me to be there for you, she knew that you were still sad about Faolin. And she also knew that you would be sad about Oromis and Glaedr."

They were interrupted as Blodhgarm said from outside, "Lady Nasusada requests your presence, Eragon, and yours as well, Arya."

Eragon gave a slight grunt and Arya sighed slowly. In a monotone that fit his mood Eragon said, "Very well Blodhgarm, we're on our way." 

"One moment," Arya said to him. She placed her cup in a drawer next to her and slipped on a more formal tunic than the one she wore. He looked away as she removed her original tunic, even though he knew that she wore some sort of undergarment. Eragon almost felt as if Arya was in a way testing him with her behavior, seeing if he still cared so much about her appearance that he would take any opportunity possible to see more of her.

He was still facing away from Arya as she walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder, saying, "Let's go." Eragon, Arya, and the twelve elves walked at a brisk pace towards Nasuada's tent, ensuring that they didn't trample any of the Varden on their way.

--

Billy was chasing a ball that he had just thrown a moment before. He was a small child, a citizen of Feinster. He was enjoying the mass of tents that the Varden had set up as a small playground.

As Billy chased after the ball he accidentally tripped on a branch that was on the ground. He groaned as he fell face forward towards the unforgiving ground. To his relief and surprise a slender arm appeared in front of him and caught him softly, just a few inches above the ground. When he again examined the ground he saw that there was a dagger pointed upwards in the soil; he would have died if the person hadn't caught him.

Now far more grateful than he was a moment before he stayed still as the person stood him up gently. He looked into his rescuers' eyes and saw soft brown orbs. What made him flinch were the pointed ears of the figure and the graceful blue blade strapped around his waist, also the thirteen other elves that accompanied him.

In that instant Billy knew who had saved him, the symbol of hope, the guardian of Alagaesia, Eragon Shadeslayer. As he realized whom he was looking at he looked down shamefully, feeling that someone as low as him shouldn't have even distracted a great man like Eragon.

Eragon lifted his chin so that he again looked into his eyes. He patted him on the shoulder and said in a caring tone, "Be a bit more careful, Billy. There is no reason to die from something like chasing a ball, just watch your step." Eragon reached down and pried the dagger out of the ground, tossing the knife into a pile of scrap a small distance away.

"T-thank you, Shadeslayer," Billy said, trying to look down again.

He could tell that Eragon was wondering why he was trying to avoid his eyes, but Billy was relieved as Eragon released his shoulder and walked away, leaving Billy alone amongst a large mass of Varden who were quickly approaching him, asking what Eragon had said to him.

--

Eragon walked away from the child whose life he had just saved. It disgusted him that someone would be as careless as to leave a dagger point-up in the ground. He could see smiles on the faces of the elves and concluded they were proud of his action, especially Arya, whose face bore the most visible grin, but when she noticed him looking at her she looked away slightly, obviously embarrassed.

The group arrived at Nasuada's tent and Eragon and Arya entered quickly, ignoring the Nighthawks stationed outside. Upon his entrance Eragon noticed Nasuada, Orrin, Jormundur, Garzvhog, Narheim, and Islanzadi, who was in a mirror. They all greeted Eragon and Arya as they took their seats near the mirror, eyeing Nasuada expectantly.

Before anyone could begin Islanzadi said, "I need to speak with Eragon and Arya for a moment, there's no need to give us privacy, we can use the ancient language. We just need a short moment." 

"What is it, mother?" Arya asked in the language of no lies.

"I am sending another six elves to join your guard, Eragon. I am also changing the purpose of your guard. From this point out they are to protect you, Saphira, and Arya. Arya I would be appreciative if you could move your tent next to Eragon's so that they can guard you both." Eragon was slightly amused by Islanzadi's words, for he thought he sensed a second purpose behind her actions.

Arya appeared to notice is as well for she asked, "And is there no other reason for this action?"

"I never said that there wasn't," Islanzadi said mysteriously, although both Eragon and Arya knew what she meant, even if they didn't acknowledge it to the other. "In any event I sent them two days ago so expect them within the next couple of days. I think you might even recognize one of them, Eragon."

"Oh?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. He also noticed the other people present giving him strange and impatient looks, obviously wanting to get on with the meeting. He said, "Never mind it will have to wait, they are getting impatient." He switched to the normal dialect and finished with, "Thank you, Islanzadi. Nasuada, we can begin now."

"Anything we should know about?" Jormundur asked, voicing the opinion of most of the leaders.

Arya said, "Six more elves are less than two days away and will be joining Eragon's guard when they arrive." 

"And why was that so secretive that you needed to speak in another language?" Orrin asked, growing slightly angry.

"Your majesty," Islanzadi said. "They never said that was all that I told them. There are things only elves should know." Eragon almost laughed at Islanzadi's half lie, for he knew that nothing which was spoken required the ancient language. She had used it in an attempt to ferret out a few emotions from Arya or Eragon, which she had unfortunately failed at. And she had also used it to ensure privacy, thus showing respect for their situation and desire to keep the secret limited to as few people as possible.

"Enough," Nasuada commanded, obviously annoyed with the pointless bantering going on. She said, "We only have one real thing to discuss, and then we have an event to plan. Let's get this over with." The leaders shuffled their positions slightly and nodded, notifying her that they were ready.

"As you all know," Nasuada began. "We plan to conquer Belatona before winter and the snow comes. We would be at a huge disadvantage and many would starve if we were cut off from supplies due to the snow. Keeping this in mind we are aware that winter begins in roughly a month, and the dwarves are planning on arriving at Belatona at that precise time. The question is, do we wait for the dwarves and then attack the city together, risking being stuck on the plains, or do we fight them in two weeks, the time it would take to prepare and march?"

"We have to fight them early on," Garzvhog commented. "We need time to calm the yammering citizens so there aren't riots over winter, and we need time to properly ensure the city is stocked."

"The dwarves and bringing enough food to feed them and the Varden for the winter," Nasuada said, ensuring that no more points would be about the food.

"I agree with Nar Garzvhog," Narheim said, much to the surprise of many of the leaders. Everyone knew of the relationships dwarves and Urgals had, it was uncommon for them to agree. "The dwarves hate to miss a good fight, but we must ensure that our safety in the city is likely, and if we attack in roughly two weeks there is time to retreat to Feinster if we are somehow pushed back. It is the logical course." 

"All in favor?" Nasuada asked.

"Aye," everyone called out, including Eragon and Arya. To Eragon the choice was simple; ensure that the Varden had a safe place to stay for the winter. They had to fight.

"Very well then, that's decided. Now, our second matter of business," Nasuada said, clearly pleased to be done with the official problems of the Varden. "We are to be leaving Feinster soon, but I would like to hold a celebration before our departure. It would take place tonight if we agree, and it would be in the keep's courtyard." 

"That sounds like a grand idea!" Orrin exclaimed, standing upright abruptly and knocking his chair over. He obviously loved celebrations.

Most of the others added their affirmations as well, deciding that they would indeed hold a massive celebration that evening. "Very well, I and my advisers will organize it," Nasuada said. "If you want anything to be included speak now or forever hold your peace." 

"Swordplay," Garzvhog said.

Narheim added, "Mead!"

"Faelnirv," Islanzadi said, surprising several people by her contribution. "The elves will provide plenty, it is a wondrous drink. Eragon, would you mind giving the people a taste?"

Eragon quickly asked Blodhgarm mentally if he had a bottle of it, and to his relief the elf entered the tent and gave him one. He passed the bottle around and everyone took a sip of the drink. Each and every person uttered exclamations at how great it tasted and how invigorating it was. 

"Well fuck the mead!" Narheim shouted. "Let's have that!" Eragon, Arya, and Islanzadi laughed, pleased that the elven liquor was well received among the alcoholic dwarfs.

"We can have both!" Nasuada said enthusiastically as she tasted the Faelnirv as well.

After the leaders had collected themselves and stopping laughing and shouting over who could get the last bit of the Faelnirv Nasuada asked, "So is there anything else you would like to have?"

"Dancing," said a voice from outside the tent. Everyone turned and looked as Lady Lorana walked into the tent and took a seat. Eragon was surprised that she was walking around free, but he reasoned that Nasuada determined that as long as an eye was kept on her, she wouldn't try to do anything to undermine the Varden.

Lady Lorana added, "I would like to help you organize this celebration that you are planning to hold in my city. I think it would be a great deal of fun." Her eyes fell on Eragon and Arya and she said, "Ah, Eragon. It is good to see you and your wife again." 

The tent went quiet as people realized that either Eragon or Arya were likely to get quite angry about the statement. Eragon stared at Lady Lorana for a moment before switching his gaze to Arya, who was maintaining her standard appearance of impassiveness, but he could tell she was angered by the claim. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Islanzadi fight off a laugh, for she knew that they were close, but not together.

Eragon said quietly, "You are mistaken, my Lady. One, we are not married. And two, elves don't even believe in marriage, so it's impossible for us to be married. Next time I would recommend you ask someone credible rather than believe all the rumors."

"I did ask someone credible," Lorana said, confused.

"Who?"

"Orrin."

Everyone looked at Orrin who had gone blood red, for he realized the mistake he had made as well. As if trying to explain himself he said, "She asked me if they were together…personally I thought they were so I said yes. Apparently I was wrong." 

"Why in the world would either of you assume that anyway?" Arya demanded. Eragon saw Islanzadi hiccup slightly, avoiding laughter. He was bemused by her reaction, and noticed that she had a glimmer of hope in her eyes when she heard Eragon and Arya be considered a married couple, despite the fact that elves didn't believe in marriage.

"Well," Lady Lorana said, ignoring the looks from the majority of the other people. "I saw how close you were when you fought that shade, and you have the same last name…I just assumed." 

"What's this?" Islanzadi asked in the ancient language.

Arya quickly replied in the same dialect by saying, "While we were fighting the shade Eragon was also experiencing flashes from Glaedr's mind, we found out he died just after Varaug was killed, so we comforted each other. Nothing more." Switching back to the normal tongue she said, "How many other people _assume _that we are together?" 

Orrin piped up, eager to contribute something but incorrect information for once. He said, "A good portion of the Varden, you have to understand that people want to believe that you are great, and in most great men's lives there is a woman whom they love, so they assume that Arya is that woman." 

_They're not far off, _he thought to himself, disturbed by the people's perception. He was, however, grateful for the explanation so now he understood what exactly people were saying. He contacted Arya mentally and asked, _What should we do about this?  
_

_Just let them think what they want, it really doesn't affect us and it would be a huge mess to fix if we tried. Only you and I know the details of our relations, and I would prefer to keep it that way, _she replied hesitantly.

"The Varden can believe what they want if it gives them more hope of winning this war. However, I would prefer if the leaders, you, don't buy into the rumors without at least asking me or Arya first, because they are likely not true." With that everyone looked down and mumbled to themselves, clearly embarrassed by their lack of common sense when it came to dealing with simple rumors in the Varden.

Nasuada finally said, "This meeting has been full of stress and unnecessary conflict, unless anyone else wants to add anything to the party I want you to all get out of here, now."

Nobody said anything, so all of the leaders scrambled up and left quickly, including Eragon and Arya, but only after the queen said to them, "Eragon, can you and Arya contact me in a few minutes? I would like to speak with you again."

Eragon nodded slightly, not feeling the need to reply with words. On their way out Lady Lorana approached them and said, "I apologize for that, I honestly thought you were a couple. Please forgive me."

"It is of no consequence, Lady," Arya said. "From what Orrin said you aren't the only one. If you have any future rumor questions or assumptions please ask one of us in private before you say it before an entire meeting, however. That is all we ask."

"I will, thank you, Shadeslayer."

"Lady I would gladly spend some time discussing a few things with you later if you need, but the queen has asked for Arya and I to contact her so we must go, I'm sorry." Eragon nodded to Nasuada and walked out of the tent, Arya following close behind.

Through unspoken consent they decided to go to Eragon's tent to make the contact. On their way there Eragon said to his guards, "Six more elves will be joining you in a few days. And you are now assigned to guard Arya as well, the queen insists."

"Very well, Shadeslayer," Blodhgarm purred.

One of the other elves said, "It's no big deal, you're usually together anyway so we won't actually be doing much anything different."

"True," Arya admitted. She turned to a female elf walking behind her and asked, "Would you mind moving my tent next to Eragon's? It should make it far easier for you to guard all three of us if we are in the same general area." 

The elf bowed and said, "Nen ono Weonahta, Arya Drotningu." She broke off from the group and jogged to where Arya's tent was pitched.

By then they had arrived at Eragon's tent. Eragon and Arya entered as usual and scryed Islanzadi in the mirror which had yet to be moved since the last time they scryed her. The mirror faded to black and then brightened to reveal Islanzadi once again, this time she seemed a bit more relaxed than she was during their meeting a moment before.

Skipping any formalities the queen said, "I wanted to finish our earlier discussion and ask the two of you a couple of questions. First, the elf you know, Eragon, is Vanir. He requested to be added to your guards and I thought the idea was fine, seeing as how you seemed to become good friends before you left Ellesmera." 

"Vanir," Eragon whispered. "Aye, I'm pleased he will be here. He is a fine warrior and a good friend, thank you Islanzadi." Eragon bowed slightly in gratitude, having a friend around always made him feel better.

"Also," Islanzadi added. "Vanir will be carrying Naegling with him. Oromis told me, before he died, that the sword was to be sent to you if he perished."

"Naegling…" Arya whispered, remembering Oromis' golden sword. Eragon could tell that even the mention of their names was enough to bring her to the brink of crying, but she restrained herself in front of her mother.

"Thank you, Islanzadi. The sword means a great deal to me, I appreciate you sending it with Vanir. Is there anything else?" Eragon asked expectantly. He anticipated a question about his and Arya's relationship, and he wasn't let down.

The queen asked in a more friendly tone, a knowing twinkle in her eye, "So, how are the two of you doing?"

"Erm…fine," Arya said hesitantly. Eragon nodded his agreement with the statement, he couldn't think of anything worth noting that had occurred.

"What are you planning on doing today?" Islanzadi persisted, eager to discover their plans and to see if they were getting closer or not.

_Damn, _Eragon thought to himself, seeing as how Saphira was still gone. _She's really serious about this relationship stuff._ He chose to let Arya speak, as he didn't want to say something that she didn't agree with or wasn't willing to admit in front of her mother.

Arya eventually got the message; Eragon was giving her the go-ahead to say what she wanted. She said cautiously, "We were going to spend a bit of time together before the celebration this evening. Eragon said he had a few things to do so I thought that I might help him."

_Those things are simply visiting a few people, but you're welcome to come, _he told her. She gave him a mental nod, not wanting to tell Islanzadi that they were communicating mentally while talking to her.

"I see," the queen replied with a slight, knowing smile. "In that case I'll let you go and enjoy yourselves, have a nice day Eragon and Arya."

"And you as well," Eragon replied, ignoring the stress he was feeling. Never before had someone been so eager to get him into a relationship with their daughter, the thought was strange.

Islanzadi ended the scrying spell and the mirror faded back to its own reflective surface, showing Eragon an image of himself and Arya standing next to each other. He gave a long sigh and plopped on his bed, already tired. Arya sat near him on the bed and asked, "So who is it that you wished to visit?"

"Horst's sons, his wife is expecting a baby and I promised that I would try to be there when she gives birth to help out. And after that I was considering a visit with Angela, but I think I'll pass on that for the time being. I suppose after I visit Horst's family I'll just go talk to a few others such as Jeod, and then go for a walk in the nearby trees."

"Well then let's go," Arya said and stood up. She beckoned to him and walked out of the tent. He grunted slightly, not exactly wanting to get up off the bed, but in the end his desire to spend time with Arya overcame his spontaneous laziness and he got up and followed her out of the tent.

Blodhgarm and the eleven other elves spread out around Eragon and Arya protectively. For the first time Eragon noticed just how much space he occupied when moving from one place to another. At least three quarters of the width of a passage was occupied by Eragon and his guards, something that made him feel a little bit guilty.

As they entered the Carvahall portion of camp Eragon asked one of the villagers where Horst had his tent set up. It took him and his companions only a few moments to reach the tent that they had been directed to, at which time Eragon knocked on the pole.

"Who is it?" came a female voice from inside.

"Eragon," Eragon said.

"Oh, Eragon come in please," Eragon realized that it was Elain who was talking. He gave a quick nod to Blodhgarm before entering the tent, Arya followed.

Elain sat at a table knitting a blanket next to one of her sons, whom Eragon recognized as Baldor. The tent was very disorganized, but Eragon paid no heed. Elain motioned to a pair of chairs opposite from her and Baldor, Eragon and Arya sat down quickly.

"So," Elain said. "What do we owe the pleasure of this visit Eragon, and…who might you be?" she nodded in Arya's direction.

"I'm Arya Shadeslayer, the elves' ambassador," Arya said simply. Eragon noticed Baldor eyeing her oddly. He didn't exactly blame him; Arya was easily the most beautiful woman for five hundred leagues in any direction.

"And what does the elven ambassador require from us?" Baldor asked, assuming that she wanted something.

"Why is it that you assume I desire anything? I'm just accompanying Eragon, he wanted to see you." Eragon noticed Arya growing slightly defensive. It bemused him how even some random villagers from Carvahall were able to annoy the great princess of the elves.

"Indeed," Eragon confirmed. "I promised Horst that I would do my best to assist in your pregnancy and to check up on you every so often." 

"Oh," Elain said, clearly surprised by the statement. Eragon deduced that Horst hadn't informed her that Eragon was going to help out, something that puzzled Eragon greatly. _Perhaps he was going to reveal the surprise when she gave birth to give her some sort of hope…ah I don't have a clue._

Eragon was sitting with one hand on the table and one hand on his right thigh. He glanced to Arya briefly as he felt her hand slide over his gently, creating a strange sense of anticipation from Eragon. He consented to the touch and gripped her hand loosely, pleased with the contact.

"I have a few questions for you, Eragon," Baldor said, seeming to speak to him as if he was more of an old friend instead of the Lead Rider. That gift alone made Eragon smile slightly. He gave a brief nod to encourage Baldor to continue and the man said, "I would like to clear up a rumor or two, and also ask you why you have seemed so sad lately. I've talked to many of the villagers and everyone has said that in the past few days you have been a different person than the one we knew from Carvahall and the Burning Planes."

Eragon's smile disappeared, for now he was forced to discuss Oromis and Glaedr again. He gave Arya's hand a quick squeeze and waved his hand slightly, an image of the dragon and rider appeared in a bowl of water that was in the middle of the table. He said, "My mentors were killed in Gil'ead some few days ago, at the same time Arya and I killed Varaug. They were the last dragon and rider besides me and Saphira; it has been a trying time."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Baldor said, hiding his shock at there being another rider. He moved on quickly from the subject and said, "I feel a bit awkward saying this, but the Varden say that you are married, is that true?"

Arya sighed slightly, but didn't seem all that irritated with the question. After what had occurred in Nasuada's tent that morning it was to be expected. Eragon said, "No. We aren't even together for that matter, and elves don't believe in marriage."

"They don't?" Elain questioned, surprised. Among humans a marriage was a huge part of a woman's life.

"Elves," Arya answered. "Take mates for however long they deem fit."

"Strange," Baldor remarked.

"From a certain perspective, perhaps," Arya admitted.

Eragon noticed Elain studying him with an odd intensity. He raised his eyebrow at her, causing her to say, "I have seen many relationships develop, prosper, or fail. I find it hard to believe that you feel nothing for each other. From everything I've seen and heard you would be considered married amongst the humans by the way you act."

"Of course there are feelings between us," Arya said, clearly amused by Elain's claim. She added, "But those are feelings of friendship and trust, not of love. Can we move on from the topic of Eragon and me? We have already said that we aren't together, what more do you require?"

"I'm sorry for appearing so persistent," Elain apologized, although Eragon gathered that she wasn't entirely sorry. She had meant to act that way, and he wondered what she had hoped to accomplish through her actions.

Eragon and Arya answered a few more of Baldor's questions, an activity that had seemingly become habit as of late, before excusing themselves from Elain and Baldor. The pair wandered throughout the Varden together, accompanied by their guards. After a short time Eragon and Arya found themselves in a group of trees. Their guards retreated to a far more discreet distance, thinking that they wished to be left alone.

"We can't stay long," Eragon said regretfully. The sun was beginning to descend and they knew that Nasuada expected them at the celebration in the evening. They continued to walk slowly, hand in hand, past many of the animals and plants littered throughout the swath.

They came upon a group of wolves gathered around a single wolf that was lying on its side. Eragon released Arya's hand and approached the wolves tentatively. From behind him Arya said, "Be careful, Eragon."

When the wolves turned to look at Eragon he whispered, "Eka eddyr ai fricai." They tore their hungry glares off of him and returned them to the fallen wolf. Eragon knelt next to two magnificent wolves, whom he assumed to be the parents. He examined the wolf and found out that it had been bitten deeply on its belly, and it was close to death.

One of the wolves nudged him slightly, willing him to do something to save the animal. Eragon couldn't just sit there and let the wolf die before him. He placed his hand over the wound and murmured, "Waise heil." The wound immediately healed and life again returned to the fallen wolf.

Eragon knew that the other wolves didn't understand exactly what he had done, but they knew he had saved their companion. One of the wolves next to him licked him on the face gently, causing a tingling sensation to run down Eragon's spine. He decided it was time to go so he stood up and began walking away, but was surprised when the wolves followed.

Arya gave him a strange look, but he just shrugged and smiled slightly, pleased that animals were so easy to get along with now that his powers had increased so much. He again grasped Arya's hand, and accompanied by the seven wolves they walked back to the Varden, heading towards the celebration.

When they arrived at the Varden's gates the wolves growled at one of the guards, who drew his sword, shocked by the animals' presence. "No," Eragon commanded. He turned to the wolves and motioned with his hand towards the human, "Fricai." The wolves backed down and returned to their position beside Eragon. He grinned at the guard as the man's mouth fell open out of amazement at Eragon's abilities.

Eragon repeated 'Fricai' each time one of the wolves appeared to be a bit agitated, and soon they had abandoned growling at the nearby humans, so long as Eragon was near them.

He wondered where his guards had run off to, but he assumed that it must have been their duty to get enough Faelnirv for the celebration so they were creating some with magic. He smiled at the thought of how everyone had reacted to the drink earlier in the day. Eragon told Arya what he thought about the guards going missing and she confirmed it, saying that she had told them to go make the liquor.

They finally arrived at the courtyard, Eragon's seven wolves still following. The man managing the guests smiled at them and said, "Ah, Shadeslayers, your seats are over there." He motioned with his hand towards a six person table, two seats were empty. The other four seats were occupied by Nasuada, Orrin, Jormundur, and Narheim. There were couples dancing on a massive dance floor that had been laid out. Eragon noticed his guards scattered around in pairs throughout the gathering, watching for any suspicious behavior. There was also a music group in the corner singing and playing their instruments, entertaining a large portion of the people.

Eragon and Arya walked over to their table and sat down side by side. The table was triangular and on each side sat two people. Nasuada and Orrin sat together while Narheim and Jormundur sat on the third set of seats. Eragon grinned as the wolves laid down around the table protectively.

Guilt flowed through Eragon as he noticed Saphira drinking a barrel of mead. He hadn't even noticed her until then. She said to him, _Don't worry about me, enjoy your evening with Arya. _

_I will, _he said, smiling slightly.

"What's with the wolves?" Orrin asked, betraying a hint of unease at their presence.

Eragon shrugged and said simply, "I healed one of them and they seemed to want to follow me. They won't hurt anyone as long as I'm near them so don't worry about them." Eragon smiled at the king's confused expression. Never in any tale did wolves willingly follow someone around like a dog would.

"Strange," Narheim remarked, seemingly unperturbed by the creatures. Eragon quickly noticed why. There was a large bottle, one quarter full, of Faelnirv next to the dwarf. He couldn't have been afraid even if he had wanted to.

"You did a remarkable job organizing this," Arya said to Nasuada. Eragon was surprised; he had rarely heard Arya praise Nasuada's actions.

"Thank you, Arya."

Eragon noticed dozens of women looking at him, obviously eager to get a shot with the great Shadeslayer. He sighed slightly, depressed that he would have to likely hurt more feelings that evening by declining them all. Jormundur noticed and said, "What's wrong, Eragon?"

"Nothing," he said, smiling once again. He motioned with a hand towards the general direction of a few women and added, "I can already see dozens of them watching me, waiting for their chance. It is rather annoying."

"Most men would enjoy that," Nasuada remarked, obviously a bit surprised by Eragon's increased maturity. He noticed Arya watching him carefully as he spoke.

Eragon said, "Perhaps, but not me." Out of the corner of his eye Eragon noticed Blodhgarm murmuring to the lead singer of the music group in between one of his songs. He looked at Arya and she shrugged, she had noticed it as well.

A moment later the singer shouted, "Could I please have your attention?" He waited until everyone had grown quiet and was watching him. "Upon a request from the elven government, the next song is dedicated to the only two living beings to have ever survived slaying shades, Eragon and Arya Shadeslayer. These two have managed to slay two shades, not alone, but by working together as a team."

Eragon let out a bark of laughter and said quickly, "This must be Islanzadi's doing, let's hope it's not what I think it is." Arya nodded, thinking the same thing. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to hear the song in honor of the Shadeslayers.

_Search for the answers I knew all along  
I lost myself, we all fall down  
Never the wiser of what I've become  
Alone I stand, a broken man_

All I have is one last chance  
I won't turn my back on you  
Take my hand, drag me down  
If you fall then I will too  
And I can't save what's left of you

Sing something new  
I have nothing left  
I can't face the dark without you  
there's nothing left to lose  
The fight never ends  
I can't face the dark without you

Follow me under and pull me apart  
I understand there's nothing left

_Pain so familiar and close to the heart  
No more, no less, I won't forget_

Come back down save your self  
I can't find my way to you  
And I can't bare and face the truth

Sing something new  
I have nothing left  
I can't face the dark without you  
there's nothing left to lose  
The fight never ends  
I can't face the dark without you

I wanted to forget  
I'm trying to forget  
don't leave me here again  
I'm with you forever, the end

Sing something new  
I have nothing left  
I can't face the dark without you  
there's nothing left to lose  
The fight never ends  
I can't face the dark without you

Holding the hand that holds me down  
I forgive you, forget you, the end  
Holding the hand that holds me down  
I forgive you, forget you, the end

The group received a standing ovation from the crowd, including the elves, who were very difficult to impress with music. There was only one word to describe the song, "Beautiful," Eragon whispered. Even Eragon's wolves stood up and howled happily.

Arya laughed at the wolves slightly. Both she and Eragon personally thanked the music group for their performance, to which they replied with the customary 'it was our pleasure' line, but Eragon could tell they were honored to perform for them.

Many more couples began to flock to the dance floor as time passed, including Nasuada and Orrin, much to Eragon, Arya, and Jormundur's surprise. Eragon watched them with a hint of amusement. It was obvious that Orrin liked Nasuada, but he wasn't sure about Nasuada liking him.

Eragon had been trying to work up the guts to ask Arya to dance all night, but he wasn't able to pose the question. Eventually he noticed her giving him a strange look. She asked, "What is it?"

He thought for a moment, considering how to reply. "Fuck it," (Oooh Bourne quote, what now?!) he blurted out. "Would you like to dance with me, Arya?"

She raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly. "Of course I would, Eragon."

_That went well, _he remarked to Saphira.

_Yes, but don't make a mistake now, you must tread carefully. _Eragon detected a hint of uncertainty in her voice, meaning her usually unmatched logic was being affected, likely by the barrels of mead she had been consuming.

_I'll keep that in mind, and I think maybe you shouldn't do anything like attempting to bow again, it didn't turn out so well last time. _She hissed slightly, not loud enough for a human to hear but Eragon noticed it. He grinned, feeling accomplished.

He and Arya began dancing in the center of the floor, not too far from Nasuada and Orrin. Eragon nodded slightly to them and they smiled in return, Orrin shot him a victorious look. He shook his head ever so slightly as if to tell him to shut up and he wasn't correct.

Eragon could tell that Arya was impressed by his skill at dancing, and her surprise was warranted. He had never actually learned to dance nor had he danced with anyone before. She said, "You dance quite well, Eragon."

"I'm surprising myself too," he admitted with a slight grin. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Trianna staring at Arya with an unblinking stare, daring her to do anything to Eragon. He whispered to the elf, "There are many humans jealous of you, but Trianna looks ready to kill."

Eragon led Arya a bit and turned slightly, as if it was part of their dance, so she could see Trianna's expression. He saw her smile at him once her face was out of the sorceress's view.

Nasuada, off to the side, gave Orrin a quick kiss before they left the dance floor and returned to their table. Many of the Varden cheered at the kiss, and then their eyes fell on the dancing Shadeslayers. They crowded around the now semi populated dance floor and started chanting, "Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

Eragon looked at Arya with a hopeless expression. He quickly reached out to Saphira and asked desperately, _Saphira?  
_

_Yes?_

_Help?  
_

_No._

_  
Useless._

_Coward._

_Traitor._

_You._

_This is hopeless! _He exclaimed and withdrew from the dragon's mind without another word. Eragon noticed Arya getting more and more angry at the people's actions towards them. He said mentally, _We're not going to get out of here without appeasing them, or hurting them. What should we do?_

She took a moment to reply, obviously thinking hard about the possibilities. Eragon was surprised when she said, _It's not that I would be embarrassed for kissing you, Eragon. It's just I wouldn't want it to ever happen under these circumstances, it isn't their choice if we kiss or not._

_I agree, so what do we do?_

_We don't have any options, _Arya said, frustrated. The crowd was drunk on Faelnirv and it would be nearly impossible to escape without harming people, well at least without Saphira's help. _What about Saphira? _She asked.

_She has decided that this is amusing and won't come to our aid. I tried already. _

Eragon felt anger course through Arya at the statement. She said, _Fine let's get this over with. Just a simple kiss, nothing more._

_Nothing more, _he repeated.

His heart quickened as Arya began to lean in slightly, going through with their plan. He mirrored her movements and their lips brushed for a moment. The sensation was invigorating and it brought new life to Eragon's mind, but what surprised him was how willingly Arya had gone through with the gesture. In the past she would have done anything possible to avoid such an occurrence.

As quickly as the moment began it was ended as they backed away, staring into each other's eyes with awkward stares. The crowd cheered jubilantly in victory, thinking that they had just proved their rumor true. Eragon was relieved when they finally made a path for him and Arya to return to their table in peace, but not without dozens of shouts coming from people.

When they arrived and sat down Nasuada gave them an amused look, and Orrin smiled slightly. The king said, "I'm starting to think I wasn't so far off with my assumption. How was it?" 

"How was what?" Arya asked, not understanding what the human meant.

"The kiss, obviously," Orrin said.

"It was a kiss." Arya wasn't giving the king any room to work with.

"What Orrin means is did you like it?" Nasuada filled in for him, shocking Eragon with their forwardness.

"And I should tell you that, why?"

"I'll take that as you liked it," Orrin said, a victorious gleam in his eye.

"In that case I ask you the same question, how was your little kiss. Unlike us, you actually meant something with that kiss. What is it between the two of you?" Eragon grinned at Arya's way of reversing the conversation. She was amazing with words.

Her attempt failed as Orrin waved his hand dismissively and said, "Unlike the two of you, Nasuada and I aren't afraid to admit that we fancy each other."

"I am not afraid of admitting that I am Arya's friend," Eragon interjecting, helping Arya out. "But it would be a lie to say that we fancy each other." Arya nodded in support of the statement and in thanks to Eragon. One of Eragon's wolves howled and Eragon tossed him a strip of meat, quieting the animal. He said, "I take my leave. I am tired and wish to return to my tent, goodbye Nasuada, Orrin, Arya, Narheim, and Garzvhog."

"I take my leave as well," Arya added, standing up next to Eragon. He noticed a slight smile cross Orrin's face, but he paid it no heed as he and Arya walked out together.

On his way out Eragon said to Saphira, _Arya and I are returning to our tents, I suppose you'll want to stay here and get drunk, just remember to cut off the connection a bit so I can rest._

_Of course, Eragon. Have a nice evening, although I think you already did._

_Shut up._

_Why? Didn't you like it?  
_

_Of course I did._

_Eragon! _Arya exclaimed in his mind. Redness flooded his cheeks as he realized Saphira had included Arya in their conversation, embarrassing him in front of her.

_Saphira, why must you do this to me? _Eragon asked with despair, knowing Arya would likely be angry at him for his feelings. The dragon withdrew from contact, leaving Eragon and Arya still linked. He decided to take a risk and ask her, in the ancient language, _Well what did you expect? Did you enjoy it?_

Eragon felt her trying to say no, but the ancient language stopped her in her tracks, rendering her silent. Finally, _Yes, I suppose I did._

_Then don't get mad at me for feeling the same way, _he smiled at her and didn't press the topic anymore. He had no desire to make her question herself, he just wanted to save himself some trouble.

Eragon realized that Arya was no longer following him. He turned around and saw her looking downwards, a tear in her eye. As if she could tell he was concerned she said in no more than a whisper, "When you kissed me…I thought that for a moment you were Faolin, and you had come back to be with me again. He was everything to me, Eragon. You know that."

Tears began to fall down Arya's smooth face. Eragon held her close and let her rest her head on his chest, somewhat protecting her public image of an emotionless warrior. When they reached their tents Eragon noticed none of the elves outside, they were still at the party. He didn't mind, he knew nothing would happen anyway.

To Arya Eragon said, "We're here. Do you want to go to your tent or talk to me about it?" She urged him on towards the direction of his tent's entrance, telling him that she wanted to talk.

Inside his tent Eragon let go of Arya and allowed her to sit where she want. The elf took the liberty of lying down on his bed and giving him a sad stare. He pulled a chair up and sat next to the bed, watching her. She finally said, "Faolin was always there for me. His absence has been the hardest experience of my life, even more difficult than my separation from my mother. What makes it worse is that I still have memories of my torture at Durza's hands," Eragon's ears perked up slightly, she had never told anyone the details of what Durza had done to her before. "He found out about my love for Faolin through my mental barriers. Many times he would disguise himself as Faolin and, at first, talk kindly to me, making me think that Faolin was there to rescue me, but then he would cut or whip me in some cruel and unnatural method, still in the guise of Faolin. The experience was so terrible that I nearly lost my mind multiple times."

Anger threatened to dominate Eragon as he heard Arya continue to confide in him. He noticed the tears were now falling freely and endlessly down her cheeks. She continued by saying, "Not only that, but he would also spend hours and hours, even days, telling me about how he had tortured Faolin and how he had cried for mercy before Durza had killed him. At first I knew it wasn't true, for I had seen Faolin die alongside me, but as the days melted into weeks, and I kept hearing the same stories, they began to sound true to me. I'm not sure you understand what it would be like to think of your mate as a coward and traitor."

Eragon shook his head ruefully, unable to imagine what it would be like if Arya was turned against him. Even thought she wasn't his mate, she was the closest thing he had and would likely ever have. He stayed silent for he wasn't able to come up with anything to say to her at that point. She reached out and cupped his face saying, "And then you came, Eragon. You saved me from utter misery and torment, and you probably saved the elves and dragons as well in the process, for as you know I was about to be transported to Uru'baen." 

"I have to admit," Eragon said, trying to smile slightly, "That I can't think of something that I am gladder that I did than that. You may not know this, Arya, but you are my only true friend, Saphira aside. Everyone else knows me for what I am, not who I am."

"I didn't know that," she admitted. Arya quickly continued, eager to confide in Eragon and relieve some of her stress, "Eragon, you know this, but you are the only person I have ever confided in, ever, except for Faolin. Without you I would be completely lost and miserable. I need you there for me; my mother doesn't quite cut it." 

"And I will always be there for you, Arya," Eragon promised, easing her stress slightly. He clasped one of her hands in his own and gave a small smile, causing her to do the same.

After a moments indecision he pressed against her mind and she allowed him in. He sifted through her recent thoughts and saw first hand what she had been talking about, how she had been tortured by Durza. Nobody else had ever seen or heard about those memories, it made him feel special.

When neither he nor Arya spoke for a reasonable span of time he helped her up and guided her to her tent, saying, "Everything will be alright, Arya. Don't forget that I am always there to help you." 

"Thank you, Eragon, for everything. You have done so much for me," Arya said; her tears had reduced in intensity.

"I would gladly do more for you, you just have to ask," he whispered. Arya nodded slightly and he left her in her tent, hoping that she would be fine.

Eragon returned to his tent, removed his tunic and long pants, and climbed into his bed. He fell into his waking dreams promptly, thoughts of Arya filling his head. He thought about how she had confided in him, how she had agreed to their kiss, and how desperate for companionship she seemed.

One of Eragon's spells woke him up a short time later. He had designed the spell to wake him if someone entered his tent while he was asleep. "Brisingr rauhdr," he muttered, creating a very soft red werelight above the bed.

"Arya?" he asked as he saw the figure. She was dressed in a soft nightgown, and she still looked sad.

"I couldn't sleep," she explained. "So I thought I might come and see you, that is, if you don't mind." 

Eragon sat up slightly and said, "Of course I don't mind. You can come to me anytime, what is it that you need?" 

"I don't know," she admitted, a tear fell from her eye.

He leaned back, extinguishing the red werelight. To Arya he said, "Do what you feel necessary, I will be here for you."

Surprise filled him as he felt the bed tilt slightly to one side and then return to its original position, meaning someone had just laid on it. Arya moved over to Eragon's side on the bed and wrapped one of her arms around him, nuzzling her head into his chest affectionately.

_What the…? _He thought with amazement.

Eragon didn't press the matter, Arya had her reasons for whatever she did, so he simply consented and wrapped one of his arms around her, holding her closely. He once again fell towards his waking dreams, this time with Arya by his side.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Roran's Dilemma

Arya awoke in the warmth of Eragon's arms. Her first reaction, much to her surprise, was contentment, which was quickly followed by surprise. She laid completely still, so as not to wake Eragon, and thought back to the previous night.

**

"_I would gladly do more for you, you just have to ask," Eragon told her comfortingly. Arya gave him a slight, almost imperceptible nod and he left her alone. _

_Arya wiped one of the tears from her eye and quickly changed into her nightgown, hoping that she could fall asleep and forget her thoughts of Faolin. Just as Arya sat down on her bed her mirror flashed and Islanzadi appeared on it. _

Damn, _she thought. Arya was in no mood to talk to her mother, especially if she had already learned about what had happened at the celebration earlier that night. She prompted her mother by asking, "What is it, mother?"_

"_I heard a few interesting things about you today, not the least of which being that you kissed Eragon. Would you care to explain?" _

_Arya didn't feel like saying anything, but she decided that if she included her mother in this now then maybe she would avoid another fight later on. "There was no choice. We wouldn't have been able to get away from the Varden without injuring them, due to all the Faelnriv that they consumed, so we just went with it."_

"_I already knew that," Islanzadi said with a slight smile. "What I wanted to know is whether or not you enjoyed it, and whether or not it felt right to you."  
_

_Arya sighed, she had already answered that question once before, actually twice, so she just repeated, "I did, and…" she hesitated, unsure of the answer to the second part of Islanzadi's query. The kiss had been the single best feeling she had experienced since she had been with Faolin, but in a way it felt like she was forgetting him too easily. "It felt right…and wrong. I feel as if I'm forgetting Faolin too easily."  
_

"_And why is that a bad thing, my daughter? It is a blessing if you are able to move on from a fallen loved one with ease. You should not feel guilty or restrained by him, he would have wanted to you forget about him and move on."_

"_Perhaps you are correct," Arya admitted._

"_In any event I would like to know why you had tears in your eyes when I contacted you. It saddens me to see you in distress." _

"_It was far worse a little while ago, I was crying because it felt so much like Faolin was kissing me, and then it seemed as if he was torn away from me again when I remembered it was Eragon." Arya started to cry again, thin streaks of tears running down her cheeks._

"_Maybe they are not so different. Arya you need rest, try to push the sad thoughts from your mind and get to sleep, you will be happy you did in the morning, for the Varden begin marching tomorrow," Islanzadi counseled. _

"_Marching isn't a big deal; I can just fly with Eragon if I want. However, I will do as you suggest for I am tired. Goodbye mother." Before she cut off the spell Arya thought she saw a single tear fall from her mother's face, but she discarded the thought as a trick of her mind._

_Arya laid down on her bed and tried to fall asleep, she tried to forget all of her problems and get a bit of rest, but was unable to. She lay there for over an hour trying to put herself to bed, but it wasn't to be. _Eragon could help me, I know he could. _She hesitated, _But it's so late, I wouldn't want to disturb him. _Her mind flashed back to Eragon's statement earlier in the evening, _I will always be there for you.

_She got up and, hoping that the other elves hadn't returned yet, quickly moved from her tent to Eragon's. When she entered she stood there looking at him, a strange mix of emotions flowing through her. Just the sight of Eragon lying on the bed brought comfort to Arya more than anything her mother could have said to her. He murmured something in the ancient language and a faint red light appeared before her._

"_Arya?" He asked._

_She deduced that he was confused about why she was in his tent so late at night, something that she herself wasn't so sure about either. In an attempt to explain herself she said, "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I might come and see you. That is," she added, "If you don't mind." In her mind she was begging Eragon not to let her down, and she held her breath until he replied, she truly needed a friend._

_Gratitude and relief filled her as Eragon said warmly, "Of course I don't mind. You can come to me anytime, what is it that you need?"_

"_I don't know," she replied truthfully, taking another step towards him. _

_Arya watched him lean back, extinguish the light he had created, and murmur, "Do what you feel necessary, I will be here for you."_

_  
She hesitated briefly, unsure of herself, but then silently walked over to Eragon's bed. Arya climbed in beside the Rider and wrapped one of her arms around him while at the same time nuzzling her head into his chest as if he was a big teddy bear. She was pleased when he wrapped his own arm around her and held her close, creating a slight pressure between them and bringing greater comfort to her wandering thoughts._

_Her final thought before falling into her waking dreams that night was; _This feels right.

**

Arya cracked her eyes back open as she ended the memory, a single tear on her cheek. She was beginning to think her mother's claims about her feelings for Eragon might actually have some merit, but she wasn't willing to admit to herself that she actually loved him and had moved on from Faolin.

She turned her head slightly, rubbing her cheek against his chest, and looked up at his face. Arya froze as she saw him looking down at her with a slight smile on his face, waiting for her to notice that he was awake.

Their eyes remained locked for a long moment before Eragon moved his left arm, for his right was still wrapped around her from the previous night, and touched her on the cheek gently. "What has happened to the cold, emotionless warrior of the elves that I knew not so long ago?"

"She finally found a true friend." Arya's lips formed a slight smile and Eragon moved his hand back, returning the smile. Arya felt something stir deep within herself when she beheld his tender, caring smile. Not even with Faolin had she been so at ease and happy.

The vast consciousness of Saphira, hampered by the ale she had consumed the previous night, brushed against her thoughts. Arya felt Saphira's amusement at the situation they were in, and only a moment later the dragon said, _Oh Arya, what would Islanzadi say about this?_

Arya body shook slightly against Eragon's side as she laughed. _I would never hear the end of it, and neither would you, Eragon._

_Don't I know it, _came his reply.

Arya decided that they should probably get up and join Nasuada for the start of their march, as she was sure that the Varden were most likely waiting on Eragon. She sat up next to Eragon and looked down at him expectantly. He gave a long sigh and got up.

Arya found his form to be enticing and she watched him with interest as he walked over to one of his bags and slipped on a pair of long pants and an elven tunic. He had only been wearing some shorts the previous night.

She stood up when he was dressed and shaved. He gave her an odd look, asking if she was going to go get ready or not. Arya didn't want the Varden to see her come out of Eragon's tent in a nightgown so she murmured a spell that Eragon had taught her, the one he had used to become invisible to avoid the Empire's soldiers on his flight from Helgrind.

Arya gave Eragon a quick hug, even though he couldn't see her, in thanks for the comfort that he had given her throughout the night, and then she slid the tent flap open ever so slightly and sneaked into her own tent. Once inside she removed the spell and gave one long sigh, for the magic had consumed much of her energy, something which she was severely lacking due to the small amounts of sleep she had been getting in the past few days.

It took her only a moment to clean up and don her leather clothes. She left her tent in a neat order for one of the elves to fold up and toss on the Varden's supply convoy. She left her tent and was pleased to see Eragon waiting outside for her. Apparently he was planning on walking to Nasuada with her, something that she was grateful for. The closer she was to him the more comfortable she was.

The two of them and their twelve guards walked together towards the head of the Varden. War drums could be heard from the rear of the Varden, calling all the men to march. Along the way they were joined by Saphira, who still looked a slight bit wobbly after the previous night. Arya almost laughed as Eragon muttered a quick spell that would mend Saphira's head and restore her normal condition.

The dragon mumbled a 'thank you' but other than that they walked in silence towards the front of the Varden. It seemed that nobody, including the humans, was really in the mood to talk. They had enjoyed the few days that they had spent at Feinster, and Arya doubted any of the men wanted to march back out to war once again.

Waiting for them in front of the army was Nasuada; she was dressed in battle gear. Her scars from the Trial of the Long Knives were fully healed and she was once again capable of aiding the Varden in combat. Nasuada greeted the new arrivals with a raised hand, to which Eragon responded, and then she shouted, "We march for Belatona!"

Eragon and Saphira guided Arya alongside the marching columns. She was hardly paying attention to her surroundings, her thoughts were occupied by a rush of confused feelings that she felt for Eragon. Nothing she could do or think would push them aside, so she was forced to face them.

Her thoughts occupied her for the better part of the day, until, just before the Varden was about to stop for the evening, a white horse appeared on the horizon. It took a moment for Arya to recognize the animal as Snowfire, but she was alarmed when she saw no companions and no rider upon the animal.

Arya snapped her head away from Snowfire as she felt the ground shake as Saphira jumped into the sky, Eragon upon her back. She yearned to chase them and be there with Eragon, but she also knew that he would call her if he needed anything and it might be a bit odd if she suddenly charged after him.

It took only a few moments for Saphira to land next to Snowfire, who didn't shy away or react with even a hint of surprise at their presence. On the contrary, as Nasuada and Arya observed, Snowfire seemed relieved to see Saphira and Eragon. Eragon dismounted quickly and examined the horse for only a brief moment before removing something from around his neck and jumping back on Saphira who flew back to the Varden.

Eragon hopped off Saphira as soon as she landed and walked over to Arya and Nasuada. Arya wondered what he had discovered and what he would do. A hint of guilt crept through her as she remembered that she and Eragon had been with Roran's company only two nights before. If Roran was somehow injured or dead…she did not know what she would do. He didn't mean an especially great deal to her, but with her newfound care for Eragon she also cared about his family. She knew that if Roran was dead she could potentially lose the Eragon that she had grown comfortable and close with.

The Varden seemed impatient behind them, so Nasuada ordered them to set up camp and they would stop there for the day. Eragon quickly reached them and tossed Nasuada a chain with a golden ring on it. The same ring that Eragon had given Roran on the day of the wedding to ensure his safety. In a voice thick with emotion he said, "There was a note on Snowfire. It said that Roran and his company had been captured and that Galbatorix wishes to trade them for me." Arya sighed with dismay. She knew that Eragon would never go along with Galbatorix's demands for fear of leaving her and the Varden…or would he?

Eragon called, "Blodhgarm!" The furry elf approached immediately and cocked an eyebrow at Eragon inquisitively. "Get me a few supplies please, enough for a few days."

"As you command, Shadeslayer." Blodhgarm bowed respectfully before rushing off to get Eragon's items.

"Eragon you do not intend to…" Nasuada began. Arya had yet to speak, she was still trying to digest the information and determine what it would mean for her, for Eragon, and for the Varden.

Eragon cut her off, already knowing what she was asking. "No, I do not. I am going to go rescue him." 

"But," Arya finally said. "We cannot afford to lose you." 

"And you won't, Arya. We left Roran a day and a half ago. By this time he could only be near to Belatona. If Saphira and I leave now we can either intercept his carriers, or I can infiltrate the city and rescue him before they get the chance to take him to Uru'baen. It is our only shot to save his life, and I intend to take it." 

"What if it is a trap?" Nasuada demanded.

"Then I'll spring it."

"Eragon…" Arya began, unease growing within her. She was blocked from further speech as Blodhgarm reappeared and tossed Eragon the supplies he had asked for. Eragon made his way around Saphira, out of sight of the Varden, and began to store the supplies in the saddlebags.

Arya had to speak to Eragon, to at least talk to him before he left. She followed him around his dragon and rested her hand on his shoulder gently. "I'm coming with you."

"No Arya. The less people we take the better, Saphira will be able to cover a bit more distance if it is only me riding her." 

"You promised that you would always be there for me if I needed it." Tears started to come to Arya's eyes. She doubted she would be able to stand Eragon leaving on such a venture without her. Even worse, though, was that if he was to get captured or killed on his mission she would forever regret not doing everything in her power to save him.

Eragon dropped the supplies and pulled her into a comforting hug. She savored the contact and almost wished that it could last forever. He patted her on the back, saying, "I know I did, and I meant it. I will always be there for you."

"It is now that I need you the most. If you leave me behind on this mission you will leave me to grief and misery without the strength or will to fight it. Right now you are what I live for Eragon, for that is the strength of my distress." By then Arya had tears running down her cheeks. She felt guilty for acting so self-centered, but there was nothing she could do about it. "For seventy years I have bottled up my emotions and problems, even with Faolin. Yet I have begun to confide in you, Eragon. You are the only person I trust, you cannon leave me now."

Eragon was silent for a long moment. However he continued to stroke her back soothingly and hold her tightly. She concluded that he must have been discussing her situation with Saphira, and she felt confident that the dragon would take her side in the matter.

He finally said, "Saphira seems to agree that you should come along. I can't say that I would be unhappy that you did, it's just that speed is of the essence." Eragon lifted her up slightly, startling her. "Ah you're light enough. Wipe the tears from your eyes, you're coming with us. Just don't try to stop me from saving Roran, because I intend to do so."

"I promise," she said in the Ancient Language. It was difficult for her to agree to his request simply because of how many factors were involved in the rescue, but she had no choice. She gulped, ceasing the flow of tears and regained her composure as quickly as possible. "Here," she offered. "I'll finish packing the supplies, you go tell Nasuada of the plan and you should probably leave a few orders with Blodhgarm pertaining to the new arrivals that should be here this evening or tomorrow."

Eragon took one last look at her, then nodded and released her from his embrace. He hurried around Saphira and Arya could hear him speaking to both Nasuada and Blodhgarm. In the meantime she busied herself with stuffing the saddlebags with the things that Blodhgarm had brought. As she did Saphira brushed against her mind. Arya granted her entrance and waited for the dragon to speak. _Did you mean everything that you said to him? That you have never confided even in Faolin, and yet you are willing to share your problems with him? Or…are you just coming to make sure that he plays the game by your rules and doesn't endanger himself._

_I meant every word of what I said. Why do you ask this?_

_I wanted to know. Your answer is interesting; I have heard what you have told Eragon about your past. Do remember that he and I are one. If at some point in time Eragon is away you could always come to me. Granted, it probably wouldn't be quite the same, but it would be better than nothing._

_I shall remember that, _Arya promised. She was touched by Saphira's offer, although she did agree that it would be rather odd to confide in a dragon, pretending that very dragon was an elf she cared deeply for.

Together she and Eragon mounted Saphira. They said their farewells to Nasuada and their guards, and Saphira swept her wings down. In two powerful flaps they were soaring above the Varden and headed north, towards where the Empire was holding Roran, Belatona.

--

I got a bit of criticism on IF for Eragon not showing enough emotion. I can see where people come from when they say this, but I have my reasons for making him as he is. Eragon isn't the simple farm boy he was in the first/second book anymore. He doesn't react with pure emotion to situations now and he has the skills and experiences to judge them properly and react appropriately.


	6. Chapter 6

I encourage you all to visit www(dot)inheritanceforums(dot)com if you want to get the updates to Babylon as soon as they come out, because, quite frankly, I hate creating a separate Word document for every chapter. It makes no logical sense.

Also I have another story, Nexus, on IF. Feel free to read that and I hope you enjoy it as well. (It was written back when I was a little bit more of a rookie when it came to writing).

Finally, IF is way easier to talk to people on. I post updates on what is going on and when the next chapter is going to be up, etc. on there. So if you want to be in the loop go there and join. I'm considering the idea of not updating anymore just because of how slow the system is. (Like really, does it take an hour to process a review or a new chapter? IF does it instantly…)

Chapter 6: Roran's Rescue

Eragon crouched next to Arya behind a large boulder that was a few hundred feet away from Belatona. The sky was pitch black and no sound could be heard for leagues in any direction. Saphira had dropped the two off near the city and had flown off to a small clearing a distance away to wait while they attempted to find and rescue Eragon's cousin, Roran.

While they flew the three of them had taken time to form a careful plan to infiltrate the city without any suspicion. The problem that presented itself to them was that Roran was held in a random house in the city, not an actual jail. Eragon had gleamed this information from the mind of a soldier that Saphira had past over. He had also learned that Roran was the only survivor of the ambush. A pit of sadness welled inside him as he thought about how difficult his next encounter with Elain would be.

He felt obligated to deliver the news personally, it was the least he could do in return for the many kindnesses that they had shown him in Carvahall and even since then. Horst's family had been one of the few to accept Eragon for what he had become and not judge him for the destruction of Carvahall, for he had played no part in it.

Eragon pushed his emotions aside for the time being. He and Arya had a task to accomplish, and they planned to do just that. Once he saw the single guard turn around he singled Arya and they sprinted across the field, coming to a quick stop directly next to the city wall. Together they both whispered, "Risa." The magic carried them up to the top of the wall, which was empty for the evening.

As silently and quickly as possible they ran down to stairs to the base and, careful to avoid anyone who happened to be roaming the streets, set off towards the location of Roran. Eragon had learned that Roran was being held in a standard house rather than the castle. In a way he was grateful for Galbatorix's paranoia of a Varden agent attempting to spring Roran from jail, or even to kill him to keep him from being used as a bargaining chip, for it was the only reason he and Arya had even a chance of returning to the Varden with Roran alongside them.

Due to some small bit of luck he and Arya managed to arrive unseen and undetected. They donned invisibility spells and approached the house where Roran was held. Eragon quickly scanned the house with his mind. He was met by immediate resistance as four magicians assaulted him in return. Saphira and Arya came to his aid after only a split second and they were able to overwhelm the magicians and kill them, but not before one of them sent out a cry for help.

Arya and Eragon both unsheathed their swords and made quick work of the other eight guards in and out of the house. When Eragon entered the bedroom he saw Roran lying on the bed, chained to the four posts, sleeping soundly. A gag was in his mouth and there were several cuts and scrapes on him, but as a whole he seemed healthy enough.

Eragon removed the gag and cut the chairs with magic, freeing Roran. The muscled warrior woke up as the chains snapped and glanced around quickly, his eyes scanning the room for threats.

A relieved sigh escaped Roran as his eyes came to rest on Eragon and Arya, who had removed their cloaks of invisibility to save energy. Emotions sprang forth in Eragon; relief, sadness, concern, empathy, and love, but he suppressed them for the time being. They still had to make it out without any casualties, and emotions would only get in the way.

Eragon did, however, embrace Roran strongly for a long moment, displaying his relief that his cousin was alive and well. Roran returned the gesture and whispered, for he was aware they were still within the Empire, "I knew you would come." Eragon released Roran and smiled, a single tear sliding down his cheek. He was vaguely aware of Arya leaning against the wall watching them with a slight smile on her face.

Eragon finally motioned to Roran and Arya for them to begin their departure. Roran asked, "What is our escape plan? How to we escape without being seen?"

"We won't." Eragon spoke without emotion. His voice held a razor edge that surprised even Arya.

Eragon had lately come to the decision to avoid killing soldiers of the Empire unless it was absolutely necessary, the thought of killing to save his own neck was rather repugnant, but he knew that it had to be done. _And besides, _he thought to himself encouragingly, _You wouldn't want Arya to get hurt or captured would you?_

_What about me? _Eragon blinked twice, he had completely forgotten that Saphira was still in his mind. She was circling above Belatona waiting for them to make their move.

_And you as well, Saphira. For you, Arya, and Roran, I will kill._

"That magician sent out a warning when we killed him," Eragon abruptly stated. "We must hurry." The soldiers of the Empire, no matter their numbers, did not frighten Eragon. What he was worried about was the possibility of powerful magicians protecting those men and making them far more difficult to defeat.

"You still haven't explained to me what we are going to do to escape."

"Just stay close to me and Arya." They carefully opened the door and stepped into the street, watching every alley and path. After no more than a hundred feet there was a flicker of movement down an ally, and then another.

Eragon waved Roran back a little and drew his sword soundlessly, Arya followed suit. A shout was heard and then the tramping of boots ensued. From the amount of thuds Eragon figured there were probably twenty men facing them, not a real threat.

The snap of a twig behind him caused Eragon to spin around instantly, and he was concerned as he saw another twenty or so soldiers step out and surround them. The only advantage to the situation was that Roran, who was unarmed, was out of the way of the fight. Together he and Arya drew their swords soundlessly, and each charged their respective group of men.

The peace of night was quickly replaced by rhythmic _pings_ as Eragon and Arya blocked, slashed, and killed mercilessly. Their rivals, the soldiers of the Empire, were no ordinary soldiers. It was obvious to both elves that Galbatorix had done something to enhance their speed and strength, although not quite to the level of an elf.

By the time Eragon had killed eighteen out of the twenty men facing him Arya had killed nineteen. They weren't competing for a number of kills, but they both knew that they would have to finish their last enemies off quickly so they would be able to flee before another group of the soldiers arrived and detained them even further.

Eragon's last two men charged him together, causing him to hesitate slightly. They were obviously a bit more intelligent than the rest of his enemies and he was already tired out, so fighting a two on one wasn't exactly what he wanted to do. In a matter of moments Eragon was lucky enough to slip past one's guard and slash the man in two. Even as he did so the other man drew a dagger and hurled it towards Eragon. He was barely able to dodge the projectile, and since the man had thrown away his weapon Eragon instantly took advantage of the opportunity and beheaded him.

A slight sigh escaped the lips of the Rider, but it was replaced by a look of horror and confusion as he heard a faint thud from behind him, and the sound of his best friend in pain. He spun around instantly and immediately saw what had happened. Tears came to his eyes as he saw the dagger that he had carelessly dodged imbedded deeply in Arya's torso. Her final rival was dead, but she was on the floor as well.

Roran emerged from hiding as Eragon shouted, "Arya!" He ran over to the elf and hurriedly examined her wound, stifling tears at how he had caused her such pain.

When he examined her he found out that the dagger had pierced several key organs and an artery, meaning that Arya would die, and quickly, if he didn't save her. Before he could do anything Saphira said in his mind, _Eragon, heal the artery and close the wound. You can attend to her while we fly, we must escape._

Eragon paused, torn between his duty to help Roran escape and to return to the Varden alive and well, and the elf lying before him. A comforting hand gripped his shoulder and he recognized the touch as Roran's. His cousin said, "Eragon, Saphira is right. She would not have said that had she thought that Arya would have died because of her words. We need to go."

Eragon did not reply for a moment, and then slowly nodded. He placed his palm over the bleeding wound and murmured a few words in the Ancient Language, closing the wound and healing her artery so that she would not bleed out as quickly. He tenderly picked Arya up, a tear on his cheek, and slung her over his shoulder, being especially careful to keep the part of her chest that contained the wound free of pressure.

With a slight nod to Roran he and his cousin dashed down the nearest alley and sprinted, as fast as Roran could run, to the south gate. Eragon motioned for Roran to stop and stay back for a moment as they neared the gate. He inched forward and poked his head around the corner, and then immediately pulled it back.

"There are easily a hundred and fifty men out there. Time for Plan B."

"And what's Plan B?" Roran asked with a frustrated sigh.

In a dull voice, for he knew the energy it would cost him, especially after he was already weakened, Eragon said, "We climb the walls with magic. Let's go."

He led Roran down a few alleys until they arrived at the wall. They were a good five hundred feet away from the gate, so none of the men would be able to see them. Eragon took a deep breath and linked his mind to Aren. "Risa."

The energy drain on Eragon was immense, but he sustained himself long enough to lift the three of them over the wall and lower them too the ground. Upon a brief inspection of Aren and after a transfer of energy to ensure that he would be capable of running he found that the gem's vaults of energy were drastically lower than the last time he had inspected the gem, which had been several weeks before. Roran waited semi patiently for Eragon to gather himself, he knew that magic put a great strain on the user after watching Carn battle against the Empire's arrows while they were under Edric's command a few months.

A few moments later Eragon signaled Roran and together they ran into the darkness, escaping the city without being seen by the guards stationed at the gates. Eragon slowed his pace to match Roran's, which was surprisingly constant considering that he had been in captivity and most likely tortured a bit. He took the time between their flight from Belatona's walls and their arrival at where Saphira was waiting for them to contemplate precisely which spells he would use to mend Arya's wound. She had remained unconscious since her injury. Eragon knew that she had entered an artificial coma to slow its progression.

Once they reached Saphira Roran bent over and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Even in Eragon's worn out state the run had been simple for him, he hadn't noticed Roran's exhaustion until that point.

Saphira snaked her head out and touched Roran on the forehead, then Eragon, welcoming them back. She then moved her head and sniffed Arya, who was still slung over Eragon's shoulder. _I'm glad you killed the soldier responsible for this, _she said to Eragon, allowing Roran to hear her thoughts as well. _If you had not, I would have been forced to go back and kill him myself._

Roran raised his eyebrows and glanced at Arya, obviously surprised by Saphira's uncharacteristic attachment to the elf. Eragon reached up and patted Saphira on the nose. The dragon moved her head back with a slight snort, and spread out as low as possible on the ground so that Roran would have an easier time getting on.

Eragon was the first to run up Saphira's foreleg and take his seat, making sure that there was a bit of space between him and the neck spike in front of him. Roran clambered up Saphira next, albeit much slower than Eragon. "Sit behind me and wrap your arm around my waist. I need to heal Arya while we fly." Roran nodded, settling into position behind Eragon, and at the same time Eragon lowered Arya from his shoulder and laid her across his lap, her chest wound directly under his right palm. His left held her steady as Saphira reared and jumped into the sky, doing her best to minimize the turbulence so that Eragon could work in peace, without fear of falling off.

After Eragon had done nothing but stare at Arya's wound for a long minute Roran asked, "Well, how is she?"

"Not good." Eragon sighed and cracked his knuckles, gathering the healing words that he would need. "This might take awhile. The dagger caused more damage than I originally thought. Although…" he paused. "Assuming I don't run out of energy, she'll live."

Eragon didn't wait for a reply from Roran. He muttered his incantation and observed through his mind, for he had already sealed the wound and could not physically see the wound. Several gusts caused Saphira to sway in the sky, almost making him lose his concentration multiple times, but it was his strong resolve that kept his mind on track.

Several long minutes later, after exhausting his own reserves and diving deeply into Saphira's, the process was complete. Eragon scanned the wound once more with his mind and made sure that he hadn't missed anything before sighing with satisfaction. He held Arya stead with both hands and relaxed, relieved that his efforts had proved successful.

Arya did not wake for the remainder of the time Saphira flew. Eragon assumed that she was resting and he did not disturb her, for he was able to discern her clear thoughts and lack of pain by a simple mental touch.

Saphira flew for only a few hours, about double the distance a horse could cover in the night, before landing in a grove of trees situated on the shore of Leona Lake. Eragon rolled out a blanket and set Arya on it while Roran made to get up and get some firewood.

"I'll do it." Eragon wanted to take a walk anyway to try and get his mind away from some of his wandering thoughts. He wondered if rushing to Roran's aid so quickly, and without leaving the Varden much protection, was a good idea. More than whether or not it was right or wrong, Eragon wondered what could have happened if the operation hadn't been successful.

_Eragon I know you better than anyone, so trust me when I say that you had to do this. You would not have been able to live with yourself if you did not. That is all that matters. _Saphira's words brought a small portion of comfort into Eragon as he walked out of the clearing.

As he passed Roran he said, "Keep an eye on Arya, I'll be right back." 

**

Roran watched Eragon go and sighed after he had left. He looked down at Arya, observing that she was still asleep. Despite his exhaustion from the day's events and being held in captivity, Roran slowly began to clear excess sticks and leaves away from the spot where he decided the fire should be. He was vaguely aware of Saphira making herself comfortable off to the side of Arya. The dragon stared at him with one large sapphire eye. While he worked he considered what had happened a few days before.

--

_Roran sat around the fire with his men. Garth was in the process of arguing with Horst about Eragon and Arya's powers. He could have intervened and settled it easily, but it was amusing to see someone like Garth make a fool out of himself._

_A moment later Roran heard a strange sound from behind him, which was quickly replaced by dozens of battle cries as a force of at least thirty or forty men rushed towards their camp. He barely had time to reach his hammer before his assailants were upon him. As they sprinted forward Roran observed that their movements were faster and more precise than any ordinary human, but they weren't on the level of speed that Roran had witnessed Eragon and Arya reach two days before. _

_Some of his men were not as fortunate as him, as he was on the side of the fire opposite that of the attackers. Garth and Harold were quickly cut down as they tried to grab their weapons. "Stay together!" Roran shouted to his men. "We are better than them!"_

_Another six of Roran's men fell, and Roran found himself in a two on one match against the enemy commander and one of his comrades. He ducked under one sword, barely, and smashed his hammer into the commander's shin. The man made no sound and continued to fight him, hunched over on one leg. _Blast, _Roran thought. Not only were they faster than a normal soldier, they had no pain as well._

_Roran rolled to the side as both men slashed downwards at him, this time he managed to get back up and smash one of the men in the head before he could react. The soldier toppled to the ground, motionless. _

_Before reengaging the other man before him Roran quickly glanced around. There was only one of his men still alive, Horst, who was fending off another three of the enemies. Roran knew he had to act quickly, as he could see six enemies approaching him._

_--_

Roran's thoughts were interrupted by a slight rustle from behind him. Acting on instinct he ducked and rolled forwards, anticipating another ambush. When he looked up and searched his surroundings he found no enemies, only Arya starting to try and sit up.

He berated himself for being so paranoid and quickly hurried to the injured elf's side. He set a hand on her shoulder and was surprised when she tensed and her head snapped in his direction. Her muscles relaxed slightly as she realized that he was not an enemy, but she did not seem comfortable with him touching her, so he removed his hand quickly.

Arya leaned back, apparently no longer possessing the desire to sit, and mumbled, "Eragon…"

Roran was bemused by her reaction. Eragon's confession of his feelings for Arya rushed through his mind and he couldn't help but wonder if Arya harbored any of the same feelings for him. He finally replied to her by saying, "He's just gathering some firewood, he'll be right back." Roran paused for a moment, unsure of what to do next. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Arya." Roran assumed that the only reason she might lie was to protect her reputation or some nonsense such as that.

"I guess I should remember that you are practically family now. I'm sorry."

_Family? What in the world?_

At that moment Eragon returned and placed the firewood in the clearing Roran had made. He then looked over at Arya and his eyes widened as he saw her awake. He hurried over to her side and kneeled down opposite of Roran.

**

Arya lay on the ground with Roran kneeling next to her. She wasn't exactly thrilled that he was the one she had woken up too, she would have preferred it if Eragon was sitting beside her. After exchanging a few words with Roran, of which she considered insignificant, the person she truly wanted to see arrived: Eragon.

He entered the clearing and set a pile of logs down on the ground before coming over to her side and kneeling beside her with a concerned look on his face. She wanted to speak with him, but not in front of Roran.

Eragon seemed to understand that because he said, "Roran, could you get that fire started for us?" The muscled warrior nodded and backed off, understanding that Eragon wanted to speak to her alone.

Once Roran had moved away Eragon grasped one of her hands in his own and whispered, "I'm sorry." The moonlight was barely bright enough for her to see a small tear at the corner of his eye, but he did not let it fall.

"For what?" 

"That dagger was meant for me, not you." Understanding filled Arya. Eragon blamed himself for her injury, even though there was nothing that he did that caused it.

"Shh, tell me what happened after I got hit." 

Eragon recalled how he had finished off the last soldier and how he had temporarily healed her wound. He then told her about how he and Roran had escape and the spell he had used to fully heal her several hours earlier. When he was finished he murmured, "I'm just glad you're okay…"

"What would you have done if I had died?"

Eragon looked at her, his face bore a frown and a questioning glare was in his eyes. "I don't want to imagine what would have happened."

"Eragon," Arya surprised herself by the harshness of her voice, and she could tell it had an effect on Eragon. "While I know that we both care for each other a great deal, and you may even have some feelings beyond that, we must remember that the Varden and killing Galbatorix is more important." 

"Please, Arya. You're the last one to talk to me about duty."

"What do you mean?" 

"You chased me into the Empire, technically against Nasuada's wishes, and abandoned the Varden just to find me. You also practically forced me to let you come along on this mission. Why did you do that? You have yet to explain that to me, and you have also yet to tell me why you came after me in the Empire and what you were about to say before I fought Murtagh." Eragon's voice held an edge to it that she was unaccustomed to.

_Why did I say that to him? He saves my life yet again and I just repaid him with coldness, even after what he did for me last night. Why can't I control myself around him?_ Her thoughts wandered for a few more moments before she came back to reality.

_Smooth, _Saphira said to her.

Arya ignored the dragon and her constant amusement directed towards her and Eragon. She was sorry for what she had said, for she realized now, after considering Eragon's question, that there was a place where duty no longer mattered and it became personal. Finally, "I was going to ask you to not leave me alone like Faolin had, even though it wasn't his fault. And…" she ignored the surprised look on his face. "I chased you because I couldn't risk losing you, not as a warrior for the Varden, but as a friend." 

"Then you understand what I say when I tell you that duty is sometimes my second priority, but only when it comes to the welfare of one of my friends."

Arya was touched by his care for her, that he would take the time to explain himself, especially after she had been rude to him. _I am not myself tonight. I would not be so rude to him anymore if I was in my right mind. _

"Thank you, Eragon." He cocked his head to the side quizzically. She elaborated. "Thank you for caring for me so much that you would choose me over the Varden. I know what the Varden and Galbatorix's downfall means to you."

He squeezed her hand. "Without you, Saphira, and Roran, Galbatorix's downfall would be nothing more than a plot for revenge. It is in you three that I find my strength to fight." She yawned expansively, still exhausted from her lack of energy. It occurred to her that Eragon must have taken her own energy to heal her wound, which must have meant that he had been extremely tired himself.

Eragon said, "Come, you are still tired and need to rest. I'll set you next to the fire, near where I'll be sleeping so you can rest, alright?" Arya indicated her approval and he picked her up carefully and set her down by the fire, on top of a blanket that was already laid out.

She quickly drifted off into her waking dreams, secretly wishing that Eragon had moved her a bit closer to where he was sitting so that she would be nearer to him. Not even with Faolin had she experienced such an…odd sensation. She doubted that she could ever fully reciprocate his love for her, at least not in the way he desired, but she felt comforted when she thought that for however long she lived, there would be at least one person that she could talk to and confide in.

**

Eragon sat opposite Roran around their small campfire. Arya lay around a foot away from him, and she had just recently fallen asleep. He had observed that Roran seemed to have something to discuss with him, and was perplexed by his silence all evening, but he decided that he would wait before questioning him. After all, if it was about his recent ordeal then he would definitely wish for peace of mind to think.

Roran finally spoke a few minutes later, and Eragon took special note that he had waited until Arya had passed beyond the realm of consciousness before speaking. His cousin said, "Eragon, Arya said something today that I don't quite understand."

"What was it?"

"When she woke up and I went to her, attempting to ensure that she was alright, she lied and said she was fine, and when I pursued the topic and told her that she had nothing to prove to me her response was quite unexpected. She said, "I guess I should remember that you are practically family now. I'm sorry."

"Family?" The word stunned Eragon. He knew that Arya considered him a close friend, but he hadn't suspected he was _family_ to her, and never in a million years would he have imagined that she would apply that to Roran or any other extension of Eragon's family. 

"I don't understand it either. Have you made any progress in your suit with her?" 

"Progress, yes. But, definitely not to the point where I thought that she considered me, much less you, to be family."

"Perhaps her injury allowed you to see a side of her that she normally hides from you? Maybe you have made more progress than you think." Roran's eyes twinkled slightly and Eragon could tell that he was happy for him in a way, even though what they were discussing was only speculation.

Eragon felt a slight pressure on his hand and he looked down. A small smile graced his face as he saw Arya's hand on his own, and through a quick mental probe he was able to confirm that she was still asleep.

Roran raised his eyebrows and smiled even wider. "Well there's something you wouldn't expect."

Eragon grunted, no longer in a mood to talk with Roran if he was going to start making jokes at his expense. To end the conversation he said smoothly, "We're both tired. Let's get some rest and we can finish this discussion another time." Roran gave a slow nod, obviously aware of Eragon's attempt at ending the conversation. Eragon murmured a quick spell that would wake him should anyone come near their camp, and promptly fell into his waking dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

This isn't exactly my best chapter ever, but whatever. Enjoy it. (Hopefully)

Chapter 7: The Cost of Family

Eragon cracked his eyes open as he woke to the new day. The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Saphira watching it. He made to get up and join her, allowing Roran and Arya to sleep in as long as they needed because of their recent ordeal. His efforts were halted as he realized that Arya's grip on his hand had only intensified over the night, and she was now nearly lying next to him, but not quite.

A slight smile came to his face, and once again he was puzzled by her subconscious, but figured that she would eventually explain herself when she was ready, so he didn't bother to pursue the topic with her. He gently pried Arya's fingers away from his hand and stood up. Eragon stared at Arya for a moment longer before walking up next to Saphira and resting one of his hands on her side. The mighty dragon hummed with contentment, and Eragon smiled.

Arya awoke a few minutes later; Eragon could hear her rummaging around behind him. He wasn't surprised when she walked up beside him, but what took him by surprise was when she gripped his hand loosely and carefully laid her head on his shoulder. Eragon hesitantly slid his hand out of her grip and instead wrapped it around her back, holding her close to him as the sun rose above the plains.

She finally said, "I am growing weak, Eragon. I understand now that confiding in you does help to ease my pain from past events, but it also weakens me in a way. I'm unaccustomed to all of these emotions, and I fear that I will lose myself among them. How can you and Saphira stay so strong while being so open with each other about your feelings?" As far as he could tell Arya was scared, but she did a very good job of hiding it behind a normal, friendly tone.

"You are not growing weaker. There are simply more difficult struggles being set before you. It has nothing to do with your emotional state right now." Eragon paused for a moment, allowing his praise to have the desired effect. "Also, to answer your question, Saphira and I remain so strong because we have something to fight for; something that we must accomplish, and people we must keep safe." He took a risk with his next words. "Oromis once asked me why I fight, and I did not have an answer immediately. So now I ask you the same question, Arya. Why do you fight?"

The sun rose another inch or two on the horizon before Arya finally looked up and gave a response to him. Her eyes were glossy with tears, as if the question had forced her to question everything that had led her up to where she was now. "I thought I was fighting for all the elves, and for Alagaesia. But…" here she hesitated. "I now fight for that and a new age where I can share my life with those who I count among my closest of friends." 

"And who are your closest friends that you would fight so strongly for?"

"My mother, although we are not close she is still family, Saphira, and…you." A few of the tears she had kept dammed in her eyes fell at the mention of his name, thin streams running down her cheeks.

Somehow Eragon knew that she was also thinking of Faolin when she said that. It was just a gut instinct that he couldn't ignore. He whispered, "I'm sorry that things have turned out so difficult for you Arya. I know that you would rather be riding with Faolin right now." He did not speak with resentment, but his tone did have a slight edge that had been absent only moments before, as he remembered what she had said two nights before. Eragon was acutely aware of Saphira watching them with one of her eyes, doing her best to appear inconspicuous.

Eragon made to let go of her, but she quickly stopped him. "No, Eragon. I would not. I may have loved Faolin, but you are now more important to me than he was." She embraced him tightly, wrapping her other arm around him. Eragon returned the gesture in kind, wondering what exactly she had meant by her words.

A few minutes later they heard a slight rustle behind them and they quickly separated and resumed watching the sunset as if it was their daily procedure and nothing was out of the ordinary. In a way Eragon was puzzled by Arya's desire to hide even something as simple as a hug from Roran, but he dared not protest.

"Morning," came a grunt from Roran as he staggered upright.

Eragon turned around to look at Roran with an eyebrow raised, pretending that it was the first indication of being awake that he had given. "Are you doing better today, Roran?"

"Much! A good night's rest is always a wonderful thing, and being out of the shackles is even more exhilarating."

"I am pleased to hear that." Eragon glanced briefly at Arya, who was still watching the sunrise with Saphira. "In that case, unless we have any pressing matters, I suggest that we pack up and leave. The sooner we return to the Varden the better. I don't want Murtagh showing up right now." 

"Then let us make haste," Arya said as she spun around and immediately headed for her sleeping bag.

Eragon joined her and quickly rolled his up. He gathered a few scattered things and walked around Saphira so he could place them in the proper saddlebags. A few grunts and low curses could be heard from the opposite side of Saphira as Roran tapped the fire down.

Arya quickly appeared beside Eragon and handed him her bag so that he could put it in the saddlebags. She set a hand on his shoulder before he could turn around and put the sleeping bag next to his own. She looked him in the eye and said, "I am sorry for constantly comparing you to Faolin. You are not the same person and never will be."

"Arya…" Eragon said, feeling another major rejection coming his way.

"You are better," she finished, ignoring his interruption.

Eragon was stunned as Arya said that, and then gave him a quick hug, which was made difficult by the sleeping bag in Eragon's arm. She stayed next to him for a moment longer as he placed her sleeping bag on Saphira, and then lowered her hand and began to walk away to do another scan of their camp and make sure nothing was missing.

He stopped her by saying, "Arya." She looked over her shoulder at him, a strange glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I'm happy to help you deal with your situation, and I thank you for recognizing that which made me uncomfortable." She nodded once, and walked around Saphira, vanishing from his sight.

**

_Better than Faolin?_ Saphira asked with amusement. _When do you plan to tell him the whole truth?_

_And what is the whole truth, Saphira?_

_That you love my rider._

_Do I?_

_Yes._

_Maybe, I have yet to decide. _

_The decision is not yours to make. Your heart has already chosen; all that remains is for you to face the situation._

_I am still unsure, but I promise that if what you think ends up being true, I shall tell him with all possible haste._

_I will hold you to your word, but don't take too long._

_  
I won't._

_**_

After packing Roran's belongings as he had done with Arya's, Eragon climbed onto Saphira. Arya quickly jumped up behind him, apparently eager to get the seat behind him, and wrapped her arms around him. Then Roran slowly clambered up one of Saphira's forelegs and sat in front of Eragon, so that he could make sure that Roran did not fall.

Saphira raised her wings slowly, and then flapped three times in quick succession, launching them off the ground and into the clear sky. She angled south, and began the return journey to the Varden.

**

It was midday when Saphira approached the Varden. Before they even came in sight Eragon could hear the clashing of swords against shields, and also the roar of a dragon from below. He soundlessly drew Brisingr, and Arya did the same with her slender elven blade. Roran did not have a weapon to draw, so he just hung on tightly and watched the proceedings.

Saphira covered the remaining distance with only a few flaps of her wings, trying to be as stealthy as she could. They did not yet know if the dragon was Shruikan or Thorn.

She slowly descended through the clouds and, as if a veil was removed from his eyes, Eragon saw the Varden. There were sections on fire, and others that had already burned out, and there was a red dragon flying above sixteen figures, whom Eragon assumed to be the elves. His heart caught as he saw two bodies next to the sixteen that still stood, and he assumed that two of the elves had died while fighting against Murtagh and Thorn.

Little sunlight penetrated the cloud layer, which gave the battlefield a dark and ominous feeling. Saphira slowly positioned herself above Murtagh and Thorn, preparing to dive down on the pair and catch them unawares. While she moved Eragon surveyed the rest of the Varden more closely. There was a large group of soldiers attacking from the North, but the fight look like it was reasonably well contained and would be won. What concerned Eragon was the fighting amongst the rear of the Varden, where the women and children were.

His thoughts were cut off as Saphira said to her passengers, _Here we go. I'll try and drop Roran off during a lull in the fighting so that you two will be able to fight without fear of protecting him. _Arya's arm tightened around his waist, and he could have sworn he felt a slightly damp set of lips touch the back of his head, but he paid no heed as he focused his thoughts to one thing; the defeat of his half brother.

Saphira roared loudly, causing everyone to pause mid-slash and look up at her as she dived out of the sky towards Thorn. Cheers erupted from the Varden, while the Empire immediately returned to fighting, apparently unconcerned, or incapable of being concerned, about Saphira's arrival.

As Saphira neared Thorn, her talons outstretched to grip his back and maybe pull Murtagh off his dragon; he shied to the side and allowed her to pass, moving away at a quick pace.

Saphira barely had the time to slow their fall and land softly on the ground, and when Eragon looked up he was shocked to see Thorn winging his way northward, abandoning the fight.

_That was too easy, _Eragon thought. However, despite any misgivings he might have had about Murtagh and Thorn's departure, he did not voice his concerns.

Roran was the first to slide down Saphira's side, followed by Eragon and Arya, who jumped off together. Saphira had landed only a few feet away from the elves, who tiredly ran over to greet them, the two bodies still lying immobile on the ground.

"We are grateful for your arrival, Shadeslayers and Bjartskular. We were on the verge of being defeated by Murtagh. Had you showed up a few minutes later all could have been lost and the Varden could have been completely destroyed." Blodhgarm spoke more quietly than usual, which meant that Eragon had to strain his ears to hear him over all the nearby. His breathing sounded labored, and the elves did not carry themselves with the same proud demeanor that Eragon was accustomed too. He extended his mind to Aren and transferred a small portion of energy to each elf, enough to restore their strength to a reasonable level. They nodded their heads in thanks to him in return.

As the elves thanked him and spoke of a few things from the battle Eragon scanned each of their faces, looking for Vanir. Before jumping to any conclusions Eragon asked, "Blodhgarm, where is Vanir?"

This time Blodhgarm spoke in a sorrowful tone. "He and another elf, Eowa, were killed in the fight against Murtagh. I'm sorry, Eragon. I know that you were friends with Vanir." 

Eragon fell to his knees, fighting to keep tears from spilling from his eyes. He had not always favored Vanir, but through the time he spent in Ellesmera they grew to be good friends. Not only that, Vanir was a young elf with so much to live for, yet here he was dead because Eragon had come back a bit too late to save him.

He was aware of someone behind him, either Arya or Roran, he assumed Arya, placing a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He took a few moments to brood on the thought of Vanir's death before the emotions were swept from his mind by Saphira. _Be strong, little one, _she whispered in his mind.

With a clear head he stood back up and wiped his eyes, staring directly at Blodhgarm. "What else should I know? Bring me up to speed as quickly as possible." 

"Murtagh and the soldiers attacked at dawn," Blodhgarm began. "We have been fighting against Murtagh most of the morning, once or twice he was able to cast some sort of diversion spell and slip away for a moment, often times causing damage to the Varden in the process, but overall we fought reasonably well against him. Vanir and Eowa were killed some thirty minutes before you arrived." Blodhgarm paused for a moment. "When the soldiers first attacked numerous members of the Black Hand, whom we thought we had exterminated, rose up and joined the fight, causing chaos within the Varden's ranks. I seem to remember something about the deaths of several leaders and nobles, but I was too busy fighting against Murtagh to listen to the blabber of others that were nearby."

"Alright, thank you. The situation isn't quite as bad as I had predicted at first, but this definitely is not good."

Just as Eragon finished, Jarsha trotted up to him. Eragon's guards didn't bother to question the boy or wait for Eragon's permission because they knew he was no real threat. Jarsha did his best to ignore Saphira's fangs, which were sticking out menacingly as she stared northward, towards the fight. The boy said quickly, as if in a major hurry, "Nasuada bids you see her in her tent immediately. She was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, but the healers tell me she'll survive. But she probably won't be able to lead the Varden for a day or two, according to Trianna. It's just my thoughts, but I think that she plans to hand you the reins for the next few days. Please go see her at once." 

"I will. Thank you, Jarsha. Stay safe!" Eragon called as the boy shied away.

Eragon turned to his guards and Arya and Roran, whom were all watching him, waiting for him to do something. He shuffled his feet, trying to decide upon the best course of action. Finally, "If I'm to become the provisional leader of the Varden then I had better start now, when I can do the most good. Roran, go find the commander of the northern forces and unless it is Jormundur himself, I want you to replace him under my orders and authority. The rest of you," Eragon motioned to his sixteen guards. "Split up into groups of either two or four, I leave it up to you, and go rout the Black Hand members from inside the Varden." He didn't give them time to respond or question his orders before he turned to Arya and said, "Arya, you're with me."

He turned and jogged away from the group. Arya hesitated for a moment, and then ran to catch up with him. Saphira, however, did not follow. Instead, she jumped up into the sky and flew northwards, unleashing a massive jet of fire towards a group of soldiers.

From beside Eragon Arya said with frustration, "I'm no weakling human woman, Eragon. You need not protect me. You should have sent me with the other elves." 

Eragon slowed to a stop and turned to Arya, determined to remedy the situation once and for all, because he was getting irritated with her misinterpretations of his actions. "I did not order you to come with me because I wanted to protect you, Arya. I asked you to come because if what Jarsha said is true and that I am the leader of the Varden for a time, be it a day or a week, I want you there to help me out. I trust your judgment more than anyone else, so please don't think you are coming just because I want to protect you." Arya looked down, obviously a bit embarrassed by her assumption. She muttered a brief apology, and a thank you for his compliment and trust, before they continued running in the direction of Nasuada's pavilion.

As they approached the Nighthawks, their numbers triple the normal, turned around and pointed their weapons in their direction as if they were expecting an assault. They quickly lowered their weapons when they recognized Eragon and Arya, but they kept them ready incase anything should threaten their leader that was undoubtedly inside the tent.

The two elves briskly walked passed the two nighthawks closest to the flap, two broad Urgals that nodded in respect to them as they passed. Eragon returned their nod, clearly perplexed by how loyal the Urgals appeared, both to him and to Nasuada.

Once inside Eragon noticed the usual décor, along with two healers and Angela the Herbalist, whom were attending to Nasuada's wounds. To Eragon Nasuada looked very weak and unstable, but the same fire still burned in her eyes as the day that they had first sworn fealty to her, which brought a slight comfort to him.

Oddly enough, just as Eragon was about to address Nasuada, the dark skinned leader of the Varden passed into the realm of unconsciousness. Eragon frowned at the terrible timing, but knew that he could do nothing short of using magic to wake her, and he doubted that she would be very happy with him for doing such a thing.

Angela tapped down a bandage before standing up to face Eragon. She was a far sight shorter than him, but nonetheless she looked up and stared him in the eyes as she spoke. "She left instruction with me before she fell unconscious, and I can assure you that baring any unforeseen circumstances Nasuada will make a full recovery and should be back in shape to lead within a day. However," here Angela paused slightly. Eragon had also noticed that she seemed to have forsaken her customary banter in favor of clear and concise statements. "She said that while she remained unconscious you were her choice to manage the Varden. Unfortunately for you…all of the Council of Elders were killed in the assassination attempt, including Jormundur. King Orrin was wounded a bit, but last I heard he was on his way over here to help out as best he could."

Eragon gave an unpleasant grunt, obviously dismayed by how much he had to deal with. As if just to annoy him, Angela said, "I find this situation amusing. Nasuada falls unconscious right after her entire command staff is killed, because many of the captains were killed as well, and here you are in her shoes. You get to create her new staff, and then you never have to command them again if you don't want. I think she is lucky that you mean her no ill will, because you could create quite a catastrophe if you pick the wrong people."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence," Eragon said sarcastically.

In a more serious tone the witch said, "Oh don't be so down on yourself, you'll do fine. If you need my help have Saphira contact Solemnbum."

"Wait-" said Eragon, but Angela had already dashed out of the tent. _How would Saphira know how to contact a creature as elusive as a werecat? Oh I don't have the time to ponder pointless things…let's get started._

Saphira said, _I'll explain later, and Blodhgarm gave me a message to relay to you. He says that Vanir placed Naegling in your tent this morning, so if you have need of it's strength for whatever purpose that is where it is._

_Thank you, Saphira. Will you be done fighting soon? _He quickly ran through a quick mental examination of his dragon, and was satisfied when he found that his wards had protected her from any injury.

_I do not know. Roran makes quite the commander, maybe you should have him fill Jormundur's shoes. _

_Yes, that might work. I don't want to force it on him though. We can come to a decision about that after all the enemies have been defeated. _He cut off the contact so that he did not distract Saphira any longer from her bloody work. In a way he felt like he was betraying his responsibility to the Varden, but he also knew that the command must be preserved to prevent the Varden from falling into a power struggle.

Eragon dragged the blanket that Nasuada was lying on over to the side of the tent so that she wouldn't be in the way, and then sat down at the table in her tent. Arya lowered herself into the chair beside him a moment later and rested a hand on his arm. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

Before Eragon got a chance to respond King Orrin barged through the tent flap and looked curiously first at Arya's hand resting on Eragon's arm, and then at Nasuada's unconscious figure off to the side. To Eragon's relief Orrin didn't bother wasting any time with pointless chatter and he got right to the point. "I'm aware of what has happened, and also of Nasuada wish for you to lead in her stead. While I don't agree with her, it seems there is nothing I can do about it right now. So, what are your thoughts about replacing the Council of Elders?" 

"Perhaps replacing them would not be the best idea," Arya thought out loud.

"But-" Orrin began.

Eragon cut him off without even noticing. "Actually that brings up an interesting idea, Arya. The Council of Elders was originally for the human Varden, because that was what it consisted of some few months back. Don't you think that given the recent change in the Varden's structure there is a need for something better…a Council of Alagaesia, for example." 

"The Council was quite irritating," Orrin admitted with a grin. "Please elaborate on your idea, Shadeslayer." The king grabbed a chair and sat on the opposite side of the table, staring at Eragon with interest.

"What if we had one representative from each race for an advisory council for all the leaders? The Council of Elders never really did that much for the Varden anyway, I think that we could get away with eliminating them entirely as long as the people see it as if we have created something as a suitable replacement, which we have. This council would be the ultimate deciding factor about how the war against Galbatorix would unfold, whereas each respective King and Queen would remain in control of their people. I hope I'm explaining this properly." Eragon had been speaking very quickly throughout his explanation due to his excitement.

Arya spoke a bit more slowly. "The idea is intriguing and it guards against poor decisions. We can implement the idea and have Nasuada officially sign off on it when she resumes her post, but until then I think we should go about contacting Islanzadi, Orik, and Garzvhog to make sure they agree with us." 

King Orrin gave a slow nod. As he stood up his chain armor jingled slightly. It was the first time that Eragon had realized that the king had been in the fighting and had abandoned it to meet with him.

Orrin called in a messenger and instructed him to fetch Garzvhog. Eragon rummaged around for a few mirrors and set two up so that they would have a view of the table. After intoning the spell of scrying, and adding the extra lines to make it possible to speak and hear, Eragon greeted the elf queen and dwarf king. Islanzadi returned his greetings with the standard elvish lines, whereas Orik took a more open approach to the greeting.

"Greetings Eragon, how are you faring?" he asked pleasantly. From his surroundings Eragon surmised the Orik was marching with the dwarves and that one of his magicians had handed him the mirror.

"Not too well, Orik. We have an important matter to discuss and I'll give you an explanation later, for as of now I am terribly pressed for time." Eragon's voice was more serious than usual and Orik gave him a slightly concerned glance, for Eragon had always found it in himself to speak friendly to the dwarf in the past. He scratched his head slightly, a thought occurring to him. "Actually, Nasuada will explain it to you tomorrow when she takes back her position as leader of the Varden."

"What has happened, Eragon?" asked Islanzadi, concern in her voice.

"The Varden were attacked while I was away and Murtagh was with the attacking forces. I'll explain more later, but I am currently filling Nasuada's shoes until she recovers, which the healers say should only be about a day."

"I shall hold you to your word. What is this matter that you must discuss with us?"

"It would be easier to only explain it once, so if you wouldn't mind waiting until Nar Garzvhog got here…"

"Of course," said Orik.

An uncomfortable silence reigned for a short time, until the massive Urgal pushed his way into the tent, unhealthy amounts of blood and guts covering him. In a gruff voice he addressed Eragon, "Firesword, what is the meaning of demanding my presence during the middle of a battle? It is a great shame to abandon a fight." 

"I apologize, but it will not be a blight on your honor. We have something to discuss and I hope that the three of you," he motioned to the mirrors which held the figures of Orik and Islanzadi, "agree to it." Eragon wasted no time answering questions or entertaining pointless banter. He dived right into what was happening. "Moments ago I arrived at the Varden and somehow scared Murtagh, I guess he wasn't inclined to fight me along with sixteen elves. In any event I was given temporary command of the Varden because Nasuada was injured during an assassination attempt from the Black Hand. The Council of Elders were all killed, which brings us to the point of this meeting. After a bit of deliberation Arya, Orrin, and I have come up with an idea of how to replace them with a more useful council, The Council of Alagaesia." 

"The name sounds intriguing," Orik thought out loud.

Arya picked up where Eragon had left off, ignoring Orik's voiced thought. "The Council would consist of one ambassador from each race; dwarves, elves, humans, Urgals, and dragons if the opportunity arises for their race to be reborn. Presently Saphira would be too occupied to participate. In any even the council would act as the war planners, a sort of war council, and together each race could contribute what they felt best. Each king and queen of their respective race would retain full authority over their people, but the council would act as a means of easier communication and decision making to occur between the races. We can go into more detail about the idea later, when there isn't a battle raging outside, but we wanted to see if the idea was generally agreeable to you so that we could focus on other things at this moment."

There was a long silence from both Orik and Islanzadi, but Garzvhog did not take long to accept. "For hundreds of years the Urgalgra have been treated like beasts and animals because of our love for war. We have no major quarrel with any particular race, save for Galbatorix himself, and I believe that this council would help the races familiarize themselves with the others, thus preventing future conflicts over misunderstood actions."

"I find myself in agreement with Nar Garzvhog," said Orik. Garzvhog inclined his head in Orik's direction. "This council is a necessary thing and will play a far greater role than I think any of us can assume at this point in time. It could be the very foundation of the rebuilding of Alagaesia after the war." 

"The elves," Islanzadi began, "will benefit greatly from this. Too many humans and dwarves have false stereotypes for us, such as emotionless and sleepless shadows. You have a unanimous yes vote for this, Eragon. The only thing that remains is to pick representatives for the council from each race. I offer you the position, Arya."

All eyes turned to Arya; she had moved to stand next to Eragon at the start of the meeting and had remained rather quiet except for her early contribution. Nobody except for Orrin, if he looked, noticed her clasp Eragon's hand strongly at her mother's words, as if she needed the support.

The silence reigned for one long minute before Arya said confidently, "I do not accept this position. I have already served as the elves' ambassador and egg courier. If the third egg is recovered from Galbatorix I shall take up the responsibility of ferrying it from city to city, and I have my own ideas about what to do after the war. I do not wish to be bound to the council."

Nobody had expected her denial. From all of their experience she would have jumped at the opportunity to work against Galbatorix, but they did not question her motives, because she always had reason for what she did and they all knew that. Only Islanzadi seemed worried from her words, and Eragon just smiled ever so slightly, mostly from the contact between their hands, but also a bit from his amusement at Islanzadi's expression.

Eragon then spoke up, "In that case I suggest that Blodhgarm fill the spot on the council. He is already here and we can spare a guard without any problem when a meeting is called."

"The nomination is acceptable, and I know that he will take up his duty willingly," Islanzadi said, apparently relieved to have her representative out of the way. Arya's denial of her own mother was not something to be taken lightly.

"I am unsure of whom to appoint to this council. I have many trusted advisors," Garzvhog said uncertainly.

"Then I will make a suggestion," came a voice from the entrance of the tent. It was Roran, his armor splattered with gore. "Yarbog."

"Aye, he is a fine ram. May I ask why you make this suggestion Stronghammer?"

Roran took his place in front of the mirrors. "On a mission, just a few weeks ago, he questioned my authority and I wrestled him for the right to be chieftain." Eragon cringed slightly, remembering all the stories of his missions that Roran had told him when he accompanied him on his mission. "I won. I nominate him because since his defeat he has become a trusted friend and ally. His opinions of humans are also a bit more lenient than most of your rams, so I think that he would do very well in such a position."

"Then so it shall be," Garzvhog said. "You have convinced me Stronghammer. I am impressed you managed to best him, he is considered one of our best fighting rams." Roran inclined his head, accepting Garzvhog's praise.

He then turned to Eragon, and he seemed to ignore the fact that they were cousins because he spoke as if he was speaking to Nasuada. "The northern battle is nearly over, they are just routing the last few. Blodhgarm and the elves informed me that they had nearly finished exterminating the Black Hand, all of them this time." 

"That is wonderful news, thank you," said Eragon. His eyes were wider than normal, surprised that Roran had managed to achieve victory so quickly, and somehow be informed of what was going on inside the tent. He surmised that a Nighthawk must have briefed him before he had entered. He turned back to the mirrors and the rest of the council. "With the addition of Yarbog we now have two out of the four members, as a member from the race of dragons will have to wait until their race is restored. Who shall be the ambassador of the dwarves?"

"I think that Iorunn would be a fine ambassador," Orik said after considering the idea for awhile. "Don't you agree, Eragon?"

"As long as I don't have to talk to her very often. She makes me feel…strange." At this Arya glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow slightly, obviously interested in the talk about any other woman Eragon might have had contact with.

Orik laughed at Eragon good-naturedly. Eragon ignored him and said, "Until Iorunn arrives here at the Varden we will have Narheim hold her seat."

"Agreed."

"I think," said Orrin, "That leaves us with only the human nomination to this council. Somewhere in my mind I remember a man named Martland Redbeard that stood out from any other commander or advisor that Nasuada had. He is my nomination." 

"Martland was the captain that I was placed under on my first raid. He lost his right hand during the battle, but has still served the Varden faithfully since then. I think that the Council would be the perfect place for him, considering his disability." Roran spoke strongly in support of his old captain, the one that had saved his life.

"It is acceptable," Eragon agreed. "The dragons and riders will select representatives when there is more than just me to select from."

Arya then spoke up, bringing forth the final stipulation rule regarding the council. "The final thing to know about this Council is that at any time any king or queen of their race can participate in the Council's meetings. More concrete rules surrounding the minor details of each members conduct can be created later when there is time. But it is now safe to say that the Council of Alagaesia has been formed!" She spoke with enthusiasm, something that Eragon had rarely heard from her in public.

There was a bit of applause, and then everyone took their seats and spent the next few hours debating back and forth about what had happened at the Varden, why it had happened, how it had happened, and what should be done about it. Eragon ordered a few of the Nighthawks to carry Nasuada back to her personal tent and stand guard so that she could rest in peace, away from all the arguing between the leaders. Saphira also finished her work and curled up outside the tent, keeping watch while the 'two legs' had their fun.

In the end they came to the conclusion that the Black Hand was no longer a threat, seeing as how the elves had eliminated it once and for all. They also generally agreed that Eragon and Saphira had a strong chance of defeating Murtagh and Thron with the help of his guards and Arya, so the Varden could proceed without thinking they were about to be destroyed. Galbatorix, however, had rarely come up. Everyone was reluctant to discuss things regarding him, especially considering that most things looked negative when related to Galbatorix.

Finally, Eragon said, "I've had enough. We have been discussing these things all blasted day and it is time to cease. Tomorrow, when Nasuada again leads the Varden, we can continue."

Garzvhog and Orrin left quickly, obviously annoyed by how long they had been in the meeting. Just as Roran turned to leave, Eragon called, "Wait." Roran turned around and looked at Eragon, who was still seated beside Arya. "Jormundur was the Varden's general, and he is now dead. We decided to offer you his position, will you accept?" 

Roran frowned. He looked up at the tent's ceiling for a long while as he considered what would happen if he accepted or refused. Finally, "I will accept this under one condition, that once this war is over I may set down my hammer and move on."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Go and return to Katrina now and rest, you deserve it." Eragon shooed Roran off with a sly grin on his face.

Orik said a few things to Eragon, bit Islanzadi and Arya farewell, and shut off his connection as well. Once again it was just Eragon, Arya, and Islanzadi together, with Saphira listening from the outside.

Eragon held up a hand before Islanzadi could begin and said, "I am exhausted, and I am sure Arya is equally tired. Let us have our conversation through the mirror in my tent, so that I may at least be comfortable while we talk." 

"Go," said Islanzadi, waving a hand.

**

Arya walked alongside Eragon back towards their two tents, Saphira padding along lazily behind them. Their guards were ranged around them, and Blodhgarm had just finished telling Eragon that he had created a small tent next to theirs to hold the bodies of Vanir and Eowa until a proper funeral could be conducted.

She followed Eragon into his tent, Saphira coiled up outside, and watched as he lay down on his bed comfortably, facing the mirror. Arya intoned the scrying spell, and Islanzadi slowly materialized on the mirror.

"Where to start…" the queen thought out loud. "Ah, what has happened since the last time I talked to you in private?"

"Apart from what you heard today," Arya said tiredly, "Roran was captured and we had to go rescue him. I was injured quite seriously, but Eragon managed to heal me, barely." There was no reply from Eragon, only a slight snore. Arya extended her mind to the Rider that lay in his bed, looking rather peaceful. He was asleep.

"He's sleeping." Arya smiled as she looked at him.

"Good, good. That means I can talk to you without asking him to leave. I wanted to inquire about how your relationship was doing."

"I definitely feel something strong, very strong, for him. I am just unsure of what exactly that emotion is." She yawned expansively.

"I can see that you are tired and need rest, so I shall wait to inquire further about the recent events. I will only say that you should take care to not take too long with your emotions. At any moment of any day one of you could die or be captured by Galbatorix, and the chances of seeing him again if he were captured are beyond slim. Live your life to the fullest, and don't be afraid to take a chance." Her words carried the gentle, counseling tone that Arya had missed for seventy years.

"Thank you mother…" she looked at Eragon. "I shall speak to you tomorrow, I think." She finished exchanging farewells and then cut off the spell, still eyeing Eragon with a thoughtful expression.

_Live your life to the fullest. At any moment of any day one of you could die…_ her mothers words rang in her head over and over again. After only a few moments she found herself climbing into the bed next to Eragon and cuddling up next to him.

She accidentally woke him as she was settling herself into her position, but he was too tired to inquire as to what exactly was happening. All he did was wrap one of his arms around her before dozing back off.

With her head rested on his chest Arya slowly drifted off into her waking dreams, feeling more at peace than she had the past few nights where she had been away from Eragon.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Alone

Eragon's eyes snapped open as he felt an increased pressure on his chest. He was greeted by blackness and silence, as it was still the middle of the night. Slowly, as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, he was able to make out a furry outline of a cat sitting upon his chest. He was also acutely aware of Arya lying next to him with her head on his chest, dreaming contentedly.

He instinctively threw up his mental barriers as he felt a mind reach for his own, but quickly realized his mistake and lowered them when he recognized the consciousness to be that of Solembum, the werecat. In his mind he heard the werecat speak to him, _Angela asked me to give you a message, and since I was bored and I figured I might learn something about Eragon the Great's nightly activities…_he twitched his tail and stared at Arya…_I agreed. _His voice held its usual sarcastic tone, but there was also seriousness that Eragon recognized from the first time the werecat had offered him counsel. It was because of that he did not waste his time protesting about Solembum intruding on his rest, he only waited patiently for the werecat to say what he had come to say.

_Even though I loath him, Tenga has some qualities that even I deem interesting. I know that you are still trying to figure out what I meant by the Rock of Kuthian and the Vault of souls, and I am bound to not speak of the details regarding them, so Angela thought that you should go and see Tenga. He is the only one who can tell you about what you wish to know._

Eragon was dazed as he heard Soelmbum's advice. He and Saphira had spent many days and nights pondering what the Rock of Kuthian meant, and what exactly the Vault of Souls was. _In the morning I shall tell Arya and Saphira of this and then we can leave for Tenga. Thank you Solembum._

_No, _said the werecat simply.

_What?_

_You cannot inform Arya of this mission. Tenga will be reluctant enough to tell you the details for which you search, but if Arya is present he will undoubtedly refuse to give you any sort of information. He does not trust people._

_I trust Arya with my life. That should be enough for him._

Solembum leaped off of Eragon's chest and walked, very slowly, towards the tent flap. On his way out he twitched his tail and said, _If you wish to learn about what you seek you will leave her behind. And do not tell her of your mission, for she will follow you regardless of whether you agree to take her or not._ And then he was gone.

Eragon lay in his bed considering Solembum's words for a few minutes, holding Arya closely the entire time. He savored the touch of their bodies and wished that it would never end, but he knew that he would have to make a decision, and soon. He roused Saphira with his mind and told her of their predicament.

She gave an extended sigh, obviously unsettled by the situation. She eventually asked, _Are you willing to leave Arya here, or not?_

_We have grown so close, _he said, stroking her dark hair softly. _I feel as if it would be betraying her trust, to leave her alone here without even telling her where we had flown off to. It could even pull us apart and create more barriers-_

_Or it could bring you closer together. Maybe if you left she would…realize something._

_And what exactly would she realize, pray tell?  
_

_Figure it out yourself. _Saphira snorted outside, almost waking Arya up.

Eragon stared intently at Arya for a moment longer. She looked so peaceful lying next to him, and he could barely bring himself to abandon her, but he knew what had to be done. He kissed her forehead gently before sliding out of her embrace and standing up. He quickly slipped on a shirt, grabbed his sword, and walked outside. _Let's get this over with, Saphira._

_And Arya?  
_

_We will be leaving her here. I need to talk to Blodhgarm before we set off, however._

He could feel her pride at his decision, despite the underlying dissatisfaction with leaving Arya behind. She and Arya had grown to be good friends, not on the level of Eragon's relationship with her, but it was still nice for Saphira to have someone to talk to other than Eragon. _Hurry and have your little chat, then let us leave. The sooner we set out the sooner we can return._

_Aye. _

Eragon found Blodhgarm aware outside his tent. The guards rotated shifts at night and got in as much sleep as possible, and they also slept during the day sometimes when their charges were occupied and did not require their attention.

The furry elf looked surprised to see Eragon awake. He raised one fuzz-covered eyebrow and waited for Eragon to address him. Eragon didn't waste any time, immediately saying, "Saphira and I were just informed of a matter that we must attend to. We plan to leave now and hopefully, most likely, be back mid afternoon or, at the very latest, before nightfall."

"Who will be accompanying you to ensure your safety?"

"Nobody can come, not even Arya. This is something Saphira and I must do alone. Also, Arya must not learn of where I am going, which is why I am not telling you. If she knew I fear she would chase me." Eragon spoke with a hint of amusement, and he could see that Blodhgarm was amused as well.

"It now seems relevant to inquire as to the details of your interactions. I know that she is currently in your tent, have you become mates?" Blodhgarm spoke slowly and cautiously, picking his words with care so that he did not say something that could be considered offensive. Amongst elves it was considered rude to pry into other people's business.

"We have not. Right now we are just very close friends. I'll give you a better explanation some other time, as Saphira and I need to depart."

"Eragon?" Blodhgarm asked, a confused tone that Eragon had never heard before was present in his voice. "You said that you are only close friends, so why is she sleeping with you. I don't mean to pry into your business, but what you have told me is inconsistent."

"I wonder the same thing, Blodhgarm." Eragon turned his back and walked towards Saphira, offering Blodhgarm a quick farewell.

He jumped up into the saddle and strapped himself in. As soon as he was done Saphira leaped into the sky, taking special care to make the least amount of noise possible, and headed towards the ruins where Tenga resided.

Arya rolled over in bed, feeling oddly cold considering that she was sleeping against Eragon's side. She cracked her eyes open and was puzzled to find herself alone in his sapphire blue tent. Through the thin membrane she could tell that the sun was beginning to rise, and she assumed that he was outside watching the sunrise with Saphira.

She quickly stood up and performed a few daily hygienic routines, including a quick bath by means of magic, before walking out of his tent expecting to see him outside.

Instead of finding Eragon and Saphira where she had expected them, there was a large vacant space where Saphira would usually sleep. Eragon was nowhere in sight. _I wonder where they could be…_she thought to herself.

She decided that instead of searching around the camp and surrounding areas for them she would just ask Blodhgarm, because she noticed that all of their guards were still at the tent, which likely meant they were flying or they were off on a short hunting expedition.

She approached Blodhgarm and he immediately initiated the elvish greetings with her, to which she replied with the appropriate lines. She then asked, "Where is Eragon, Blodhgarm?"

Blodhgarm eyed her cautiously and said, "He and Saphira left during the night. They said they would be back late today." 

"Where did they go?" Arya's voice held a new edge. She was angry with Eragon for leaving her alone, especially without even telling her where he was going.

"He declined to tell me. He said that you would follow him if he told me and you received the information." 

Arya felt another flash of anger, but could not deny the truth in the words. "He was correct."

Blodhgarm hesitated briefly, and then asked her cautiously, "Forgive me for prying into your affairs, but what exactly is the extent of your relations with Eragon. He said you were not mates, but that really doesn't tell me much. I wouldn't ask, but it seems that if things like this occur it would be helpful if I knew what position each of you were in." 

Arya was reluctant to share any details with the elf, but knew there was no way out of it. "With the recent deaths of Oromis and Glaedr all of my other losses that I had pushed aside have caught up with me. Eragon is helping me through it. His presence is….comforting, and I feel at peace when with him."

"Do you love him?"

"I do not know for sure yet," Arya admitted.

"If you don't mind me saying so…I think you two are perfect together. Plus, half the Varden already think you're together anyway." He smiled slightly, showing several fangs.

Arya chuckled a bit, despite her anger towards Eragon. "Thanks, and please don't remind me of that. It's rather embarrassing." She turned her back without waiting for a reply and walked away, unsure of what exactly she would do for the day.

She quickly remembered that the Varden was marching that day so she didn't really have very many options anyway. After quickly packing up her belongings, and also those of Eragon, she spent the day marching beside Nasuada and Garzvhog.

The few words that she uttered that day were only due to a matter of necessity and because of the demand of her position as ambassador. As the day wore on she found herself missing Eragon's company more and more. Her thoughts started to stray back to the place she had been trying to keep them away from for the entire day: her heart.

It was no longer possible for her to deny that she _was_ indeed in love with Eragon. Even so, the realization complicated things. Up until then their relationship had remained experimental at best, and nobody was sure whether or not it would actually end up working. If she actually took him as a mate it could have two separate effects, each equal in magnitude but opposite in consequences.

One possibility would be that the elves and Varden would approve wholeheartedly of their partnership, which wasn't exactly as likely when it came to the elves, especially on account of Eragon and Saphira's treatment of the Menoa Tree during their last visit to Ellesmera.

The other possibility would be that people would reject their partnership, and that would complicate things exponentially. She knew in her heart that she would stand by Eragon no matter what if they became mates, and she knew without even a second thought that he would do the same for her. Her mother supported their union also, as did their guards. The problem would arise amongst the general population of elves.

All elves were aware of the few elf-human couples over time, and of their tragic endings. What remained to be seen was if the elves would accept Eragon as one of their own, or if they would still consider him a human, as she had for a time. An idea struck her. _We could easily dispel this possibility if Eragon did something significant that would impact a great number of the elves. _The problem of precisely what he could do to achieve that then arose, but she quickly solved that problem too. _Oromis and Glaedr's funeral is scheduled for this winter. Eragon is going to have to speak there anyway…what if we waited until after the funeral to publicly confirm rumors about us being together. _

The thought of using two of her closest friends' funeral for her own gain began to sicken her and she would have thrown the idea out and started over if the mind of a certain dragon hadn't touched her mind gently. _Glaedr? _she asked, astonished that Eragon had left him behind. Her discovery of Glaedr only increased her rage at Eragon's actions early that morning.

_Don't be so mad at the hatchling. He is only doing what he has to. If you really must know, it was not his wish to leave you behind and he did it with the utmost regret._

_You know this how? And why are you here and not with Eragon?_

_Eragon left me here because he wanted me to keep an eye on you, so that I could tell you where he was if something went wrong. And I know of this because Eragon told me of it. I trust him now to take care of himself, _Glaedr paused for a moment, then added, _as long as Saphira is with him. _

A slight smile came to Arya's lips from Glaedr's humor. _Why did you contact me then? And where in Alagaesia is Eragon?_

_Eragon should be coming back soon. Don't think about going after Eragon, Arya. If he is not back on time I will tell you everything. I promise. _Arya gave Glaedr a reluctant acknowledgment, and waited for him to explain the second part of her question, which he did after a short moment's pause. _Also I contacted you because I overheard your recent thoughts, you should take better care to guard your mind when you are plotting things you wish to keep secret, and I came across your idea of using my funeral to your advantage._

_I apologize for that, Glaedr. I was not thinking clearly, _Arya admitted shamefully.

_On the contrary, that would be a logical thing to do. Actually, I think that Eragon's own emotions will serve as the perfect solution to your problem. Everything will take care of itself, Arya. The elves are not as distant as you might think. They might disapprove of Eragon's actions with the Menoa Tree, or even dislike humans in general, but they would never oppose your union if that was your wish, for fear of angering Saphira. _

_Why didn't I think of that? _Arya questioned herself.

Glaedr grunted and said gruffly, _Love can do strange things to people's thoughts. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, who would I tell anyway? _They were both silent for a moment, and then Glaedr slowly began to withdraw from Arya's mind. Just as he was about to exit he quickly reentered and said, _I seem to remember Eragon telling me something about Nasuada wishing to speak with me. I suppose now is as good a time as any. _

_I will tell her. _

Arya opened the bags she carried until she found which one was the one that held Glaedr's Eldunari, the glowing heart of a dragon. Once she located the gem she left the other bags with her guards and slowed her pace slightly so that she was walking at the same speed as Nasuada.

Nasuada eyed her curiously, and then noticed the sack in her arms. She waved the Nighthawks away, and as soon as they were gone Arya whispered, "Reach into the sack and touch the gem. He has agreed to speak with you."

Arya paid little attention as Nasuada spoke with Glaedr about various things regarding Eragon and the old order of Riders, and she also asked a few questions about what Ellesmera was like. It puzzled Arya for she had only been asked perhaps once about her city and she couldn't recall Eragon mentioning it being brought up either. She wondered what made her choose to ask Glaedr instead of her or Eragon.

_Eragon._ Yet again thoughts of him filled her mind. This time, instead of pushing them away, she embraced them and reveled in her fantasies. There were images and dreams of a simple hug or touch between them, and several of far greater meaning. One of those dreams even had them raising a child, smiling and laughing together.

She felt her mind being manipulated slightly by Glaedr, meaning that his conversation with Nasuada was over and it was time for Arya to move away from her, but he did not interrupt her train of thought. What did interrupt her thoughts, however, was the slight vibration in the air that only someone with extremely heightened senses could detect from such a distance. Eragon and Saphira were almost back.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Tenga

Eragon and Saphira had flown nearly the whole distance to Tenga's residence in near silence. It wasn't until the end of the fight that Saphira finally begin to speak to him, and when she did it was not with the same loving tone that he was used to, but rather more of an angry and hurt voice. _You love Arya more than you love me, don't you? _His thoughts had been about nothing else but Arya for the entire day, and the dragon was obviously starting to get irritated.

_Saphira! _He exclaimed. _How could you even suggest that?_

_Well you don't think of anything else, and you spend so much of your time with her. We don't even fly together anymore, Eragon._

_That's not-_Eragon paused mid-sentence as he recognized what Saphira was saying and just how much he had been neglecting her in favor of Arya. _That was not my intention, Saphira. I guess I just got absorbed in what was going on with her._

_Well it is to be expected, _Saphira admitted with a sly wink. _Being the mate of a princess, especially one as fearsome as Arya, must demand quite a bit of attention._

_What do you mean 'mate'._

_Oh come on, Eragon! Are you really that blind? She loves you just as much as you love her. She just doesn't know how to say it. You've been too busy trying to control your own emotions you have missed such obvious signs from her, and to be perfectly honest with you…that's the only reason I have waited until now to speak with you about it._

_So you let me sit there in ignorance, why?_

_I let you sit there because it was funny; and also because it was payback for ignoring me. Yes, I envy the bond that you share with Arya and hope that one day I might find a dragon I can share similar feelings with, however I do not begrudge you of your happiness. Although, I do insist that you do not let her consume your thoughts at every waking moment. I am an integral part of who you are, as you are for me, and we cannot afford to ignore each other._

_I know Saphira. I guess…_he paused for a moment as he tried to articulate his feelings properly. _I guess I realized that Arya was starting to actually love me; I just couldn't bring myself to believe it. _

_Eragon, we're here, _Saphira said, ending their short conversation. She slowly descended through the clouds towards the scattered cluster of ancient ruins where Tenga resided. She landed as quietly as possible, although the impact still caused a slight vibration to run through the ground.

Eragon cautiously dismounted and approached the ruins slowly, keeping in mind that the madman whom inhabited them had the ability to use magic. Saphira crept along behind him for as long as she could, and when she couldn't fit through the ruins without destroying them she sat and stared at her rider. As he approached the door it began to open, and he made sure he had a clear line to draw Brisingr if anything were to happen.

Tenga stepped out of the door and looked him over for a split second before turning around and walking back inside. Over his shoulder he said, "Ah, Bergan, or should I call you Eragon? I had wondered when Solembum would send you." Eragon cast a look at Saphira, and then followed Tenga into the ruins cautiously.

After passing through the door Eragon found himself stepping over and around various scrolls and other strange objects. At the heart of the clutter was a single table with a few chairs around it, and on the table several ancient documents resided.

With his enhanced sight he could make out that one of the documents was a letter, and that the person who wrote it was Vrael. He didn't get a chance to inspect the letter or anything else before Tenga motioned to one of the chairs, and then sat down himself. Eragon eased himself into the opposite chair that Tenga sat at, surprised by how comfortable it was. After spending most of the day flying on Saphira it felt good to just lean back and relax, at least a little.

There was an awkward pause between them. Eragon wasn't sure how to begin, and Tenga seemed to be gathering a few of his thoughts. Tenga finally said, "Answer this question honestly. Do you believe that you can defeat Galbatorix should you and he meet in the new few weeks?"

Eragon tried to say yes, but knew that it was a lie. "No," he mumbled, not wanting to admit it to himself.

"Well at least I know you are honest," Tenga grumbled. "The information I have isn't a way in itself to gain more power, or even a way to bolster your chances of victory, it is just a chance for hope."

"You remind me of my father, the way you speak."

"I had only met Brom a couple times before he died, but it is an honor to be compared to him."

Eragon's hand slipped down to the hilt of Brisingr. _Be careful, Eragon, _Saphira counseled. _We don't know what else he may know about you. I don't think we should trust him, not yet at least._

_I agree. _He decided not to question Tenga about his knowledge of Brom, for he reminded himself that many of the Varden knew and it wouldn't be so unusual for a man that a werecat takes interest in to be well informed. Eragon simply inclined his head in response to Tenga. "I was told that you had information for me about the Rock of Kuthian."

"Which is what I was already speaking of before you compared me to that old man," Tenga snapped.

_A little cranky, are we? _Saphira asked.

_More than a little, majestic dragon, _Tenga grunted. "This here," he picked up the letter from Vrael, "Is a letter, or rather a journal, written by Vrael himself. It talks about Kuthian and a secret that lies within. The only clue it offers is the name Eoam. I have concluded that this 'Rock of Kuthian' is undoubtedly the thing that you and I know as the Floating Crystal of Eoam, far to the southwest of Kuasta."

"And just how did you come to possess this letter?" Eragon inquired.

"For a Dragon Rider you aren't all that bright. We're in _elven_ ruins, where do you think I found it?"

"An old wise man once said that there is always more to a situation than just the obvious. I was merely checking." Eragon let a hint of his irritation be displayed in his tone, and privately he felt Saphira's approval for his response.

Tenga inclined his head. "The journal described a great secret known only by the Lead Rider. What this secret was is not specified, and all that I can conclude is that it is some sort of a means of information, because if it was a great power then Vrael would have fled to the Rock of Kuthian rather than to Utgard." Eragon nodded his understanding. Tenga's assumptions seemed well reasoned and accurate. Before he could even ask a question Tenga spoke up again, this time talking much more quickly. "Well, you need to head to Bierland right away, I'm assuming. I have a place to go as well. Should you find the free time between now and when you meet Galbatorix at Uru'baen please come to Du Fells Nangaroth. I will be there waiting."

Tenga scooped up a few things from the clutter around the chairs, shouldered a pack, and headed for the door. "Wait!" Eragon called. "Why are you going to Du Fells Nangaroth?"

"Galbatorix has been monitoring me for the past thirty years, ever since he realized who I was." 

"And who exactly are you?" Eragon interrupted.

"It would take too long to explain. I'll give you a more detailed explanation at Du Fells Nangaroth should you choose to join me there. The reason I'm leaving now is because Galbatorix no doubt has been informed that you are here, and that I have talked to you. He will come after me at this place." Tenga eyed Eragon with amusement. "You might want to leave too; he is probably on the way as we speak."

Tenga rushed out before Eragon could get another word in, completely puzzled by the madman's behavior. He grabbed Vrael's journal and looked around to see if there was anything else worth bringing back, but was unable to see any use in the random documents scattered around the floor.

He made his way out of the ruins, almost tripping several times, to stand by Saphira's side. Together they watched Tenga scurry away at a pace faster than Eragon would have thought possible for an old man.

_What a strange creature, _Saphira remarked.

_Indeed. Doesn't what he said about Galbatorix worry you? _

Saphira shifted her gaze to her rider and inspected him. _Of course, we should probably head back. I bet Arya is waiting for you. _The bones in her eyelid clinked as she winked at Eragon. He grumbled and jumped onto her back without bothering to retort.

With her powerful wings Saphira propelled them into the air and angled southwards. Eragon inquired, _Shouldn't we be flying southwest? _

_We should retrieve Glaedr before heading for the Rock of Kuthian._

_I agree, but what about Arya? _

_Eragon, you and I both know that she can do more good with the Varden than by traveling with us. _

_You have a point, but she isn't needed at the moment. The Varden are marching and preparing to strike Belatona. If all goes well we should be back before the battle._

_What do you want me to say, Eragon? _Saphira snorted. She seemed amused by Eragon's questions and reasoning. _Are you asking me for permission to bring Arya with you to the Rock of Kuthian?_

_I wouldn't say it like that….well yes I am. _

_I won't object, and having her along might be a good thing because you two might finally stop dancing around each other and just admit what you really feel. It's bugging me that you are both so afraid of something that you both desire. I don't understand it. Typical two-legged logic. _There was an awkward pause between them. Eragon was unsure of how to reply, and Saphira was unsure of how to create a proper joke to fit the situation. _If you want my advice…_she offered.

_Go on._

_I think that you could exploit our upcoming visit to the Varden. Tell Arya that she can't come with us; make her convince you to go. It should open up a large enough display of emotion for you to realize what I told you earlier._

_I also fear that I may end up with several bruises if I try to force her to do something she doesn't want to do. _

Saphira snorted with obvious amusement. _Whatever happened to you male humans being more powerful than your females?_

He shook his head, amazed by Saphira's taunts. _Saphira we are both elves, and we both know that Arya is no average female. I'll consider what you have suggested. Meanwhile I think we should discuss what Tenga hold us about, the Rock of Kuthian._

_It made little sense to me as well, _Saphira offered, sensing his puzzlement. _I doubt we will come up with anything more than he told us until we actually get there. _

_Fine, you win._

_Something I would like to ask you now, _Saphira said, out of character. Normally it was Eragon asking the questions between them. _Why did you leave Glaedr behind at the Varden? You never did explain that._

_I figured that, should the Varden be attacked, Arya could use Glaedr's strength to at least give them a fighting chance against Murtagh and Thorn. Also, _he paused. _I thought that Arya might need someone to talk to while I was gone. _There was an overly loud snort, which Eragon clearly heard over the rushing wind that was ever present while Saphira was flying high and fast. He withdrew from Saphira's mind without response, and spent, the rest of the day attempting, without success, to figure out what the hope of a hope Tenga had described would do for him, and what exactly Tenga wanted to do at Du Fells Nangaroth.

Eragon sat upon Saphira, gazing out at the massive plain that surrounded them. They were nearly back to where they guessed that the Varden would make camp for the evening. A slight signal from Saphira caused him to look down at the ground. At their height there was little that could be easily determined by simply looking, but because of his enhanced senses Eragon saw the tiny patch of color moving along the surface, in their direction.

Saphira angled downwards at an angle to intercept the person. Eragon assumed that it was a spy running back to the Empire to report something on the Varden's encampment.

However, once they had descended to be only a few hundred feet above the ground Eragon noticed that the figure was a female, and she was looking upwards at them. _Arya. _

Saphira landed with a massive thud in front of Arya, and Eragon quickly dismounted. He swept his gaze around, noticing that some league or so behind Arya was a large group moving in their direction. There were a few thin clouds that Eragon hadn't noticed from above that had shielded them from his and Saphira's view.

Arya and Eragon approached each other, with Saphira watching from a short distance away. When they were no more than a foot apart both stopped and stared at the other, an uncomfortable silence reigning between them. After a few moments Eragon realized that he was going to have to speak first, so he posed a reasonable question instead of addressing his actions earlier that morning. "What are you doing so far ahead of the Varden?" He noticed that she wore her standard black leather, which complemented her hair quite nicely.

She motioned to Saphira and said in a relatively emotionless voice, similar to the one Eragon had heard her use when addressing a matter of politics, "I felt the vibrations in the air from Saphira's flying, and I told Nasuada that I was going ahead to scout our campsite. I was hoping to speak to a certain Rider before he was swallowed up in the machine of politics once he returned to the Varden."

"We are not returning yet. We have passed by only to pick up Glaedr; do you by any chance have his Eldunari with you?" 

Arya tossed a bag at his feet in anger, but she was also careful to make sure it landed softly. "And where are you going this time? Or can you not tell me?" 

"Saphira and I thought it would be best for the Varden if you stayed."

"Eragon," Arya said, her emotionless façade vanishing. She looked over her shoulder to see if the Varden were still a large distance away, and then touched Eragon on the shoulder gently. "I may sound selfish, but what about what I desire?"

"And what exactly do you desire?"

"Don't you know?"

"I know that you want to come with me, but it is impractical. Where I am going you wouldn't be able to help, I don't think."

"It's not just about helping you. You opened a door within me that has been closed for a very, very long time. I remember you saying to me, not long ago, 'Even if the whole world abandoned you I would still be here for you.' Did you mean that?"

"Of course I meant it," he insisted. Before she could reply again he said, "You can come on this trip with us, and any others that you wish if circumstance permit." He embraced her and swayed slowly from side to side, speaking now from his heart instead of his Rider's duty. "I wanted to bring you this morning, more than you could possibly know. Solembum was the one who told me about going to see Tenga, and he said that Tenga would not talk."

"So that's where you were…" Arya whispered.

"Shhh," Eragon said, breaking off their embrace and putting a finger to her lips. "I'll tell you all about it once we start heading to our destination."

"Which is…" she prompted.

"The island of Bierland, more specifically the floating crystal that resides there. Tenga says that it is the Rock of Kuthian." He glanced around and noticed that the Varden were almost close enough to see him and Arya clearly so he said, "Like I said, I'll explain when we're flying or when we make camp. We should go and greet Nasuada now."

"Very well. And Eragon," Arya began, and then hesitated for a moment. "Thank you for making the right choices today. I understand now that you couldn't bring me for your visit to Tenga, and I am grateful that you agreed to bring me on this upcoming venture." 

"Arya you know it is no burden to take you with me. Actually, it makes traveling much more enjoyable. I wouldn't have it any other way than you and Saphira at my side." He saw her smile slightly, to which he mirrored. Privately he sighed in relief that Arya was not angry with him over his decision to leave her behind. He also realized what Saphira mentioned: Arya seemed to harbor feelings beyond friendship for him. Why else would she forgive him so easily?

After Eragon picked up Glaedr's Eldunari they hopped onto Saphira and the dragon quickly ferried them over to the Varden, landing softly near Nasuada. There were numerous cheers from the Varden as Eragon dismounted, followed quickly by Arya. Their sixteen elvish guards surrounded them quickly, shielding them from the Varden as they walked the short distance from where Saphira landed to where Nasuada stood.

There were cries of 'Shadeslayer, will you marry me?' and 'I'm naming my child after you, Shadeslayer!' However, one woman even went so far as to jump past Eragon's guards and tackle him, kissing him affectionately all over his face. He immediately pushed her up and away, and one of the elves, probably Arya, tossed her off to the side.

Arya extended her arm and Eragon gratefully took it. She pulled him back to his feet and they continued on their way to Nasuada as if nothing had happened, whereas in reality Eragon was embarrassed by the woman's actions. He wiped the sleeve of his shirt across his face, removing the excess saliva that was still there from the woman's kisses.

Eragon glanced to his side to see Arya walking next to him with a slightly pink color forming on her cheeks. He could tell she was doing her best to maintain her composure, but the sight almost made him burst out laughing. Instead, to distract himself, he said, "What a day."

"Eragon, who was that woman?" Arya asked, turning her head to look at him.

"I honestly don't have the slightest clue." He looked at her once again. In a teasing voice he asked, "You're not jealous, are you?" He spoke in the ancient language, signifying that he wanted a response in kind.

A deeper shade of pink flowed through her cheeks and she looked away. Her voice was soft when she said, "If I wanted to kiss you I would do it."

"That didn't answer my question."

She sighed in defeat. "Okay, maybe a little." She returned her gaze to him and added, "We can talk about that later, when we are alone."

Eragon smiled slightly, bemused by her reaction. "Well we don't have time now anyway. Look ahead; we just arrived." Arya glanced up and squared her shoulders as she saw Nasuada standing on a slightly elevated platform, surrounded by Nighthawks. She was wearing long pants with a short sleeved shirt, both the color of blue. It was the first time Eragon had seen Nasuada wearing what he would consider to be a man's attire. Apparently she had taken after Arya, at least while marching and fighting. He swept his gaze to the side and noticed Roran standing near her as well.

Saphira and Eragon had realized by then that they would have to make some sort of public statement, and that their return was being grossly exaggerated for political means. The dragon asked, _Eragon, Arya, why are we here? We have Glaedr's Eldunari, let's just leave. _Her voice had an unusual hint of distaste.

It was Arya that replied to her. _Since when have you not wanted people to give you attention, Saphira? _

The dragon snorted loudly behind them, blowing a small jet of fire in Arya's direction. _I do not like being used. _

_Well we would have had to do this anyway because we weren't expecting Arya to come out and talk to us before we arrived. I'll see what I can do to make this end as quickly as possible, _said Eragon. He hated public speaking, and was determined to have to say the least amount possible so that they could be on their way. Even as it was they would barely make it back in time for the Battle of Belatona, and that's assuming they spent less than a few hours at the Rock of Kuthian before having to leave.

The crowd gathered around the platform parted for Eragon's group to pass, allowing him and Arya to walk up to Nasuada while their guards mixed in with the Nighthawks. Saphira trudged around behind the platform and extended her neck so that she could participate.

Arya stood a small distance behind Eragon, near where Roran was, as he approached Nasuada. They shook hands, and Eragon asked as softly as possible, but loudly enough to be heard over all the commotion, "What in the world is all of this about?" 

Nasuada gave an exasperated sigh. "You can't just leave without telling anyone, Eragon. This is to celebrate your return from…whatever you were doing."

"Blodhgarm will explain that to you after this is over."

"Fine. But, the real reason for this is because of what you did while I was unconscious."

"Oh?" asked Eragon.

Nasuada motioned to Roran, and he handed her a rolled up scroll. She unrolled it and presented it to Eragon. "This is the order that you issued yesterday, forming the Council of Alagaesia. It has been signed by Elves, Dwarves, Urgals, and Humans. All that remains is for you and Saphira to sign it, granting Rider and Dragon approval." In an answer to his confused expression of how the signatures were acquired she said, "We had our magicians transport it to the elves, and then to the dwarves. I felt that it shouldn't be delayed any longer than it had to be."

"So all I have to do is sign it?"

"You have to explain it to the Varden as well; we have yet to make the announcement. I figured since it was your idea, along with Arya, you two should present it." 

"Nasuada you know how much I hate public speaking…" she stepped away without listening to him. He sighed, squared his shoulders, and turned to the Varden.

In his mind he heard Saphira whisper, _I will help you._

_As will I._

_Arya? _asked Eragon. He turned to her and she smiled at him slightly. _Thank you. _

"People of the Varden!" he began. "Yesterday we were attacked by Murtagh and Thorn, the Black Hand, and soldiers of the Empire. I regret that I was away on a mission in the beginning, but thankfully I arrived before it was too late. However, Lady Nasuada was injured quite seriously by an assassination attempt, which also killed all of the Council of Elders. Nasuada made me the provisional leader of the Varden, and in that time I was forced to come up with solutions to the Council of Elder situation, and a few other things besides." He paused, confirming one more time that they were doing the right thing with the Council of Alagaesia. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Arya whispering with Nasuada about something. He made a mental note to ask Arya about that later.

"To replace the Council of Elders, and also to create a foundation for better relations between the races after the war is over, we have decided to create a new Council, the Council of Alagaesia." There were a few cheers from the crowd, but most help their peace until Eragon took the time to give them a reasonably detailed explanation of what the Council's purpose and function was. Once that was done, Eragon held up the scroll that Nasuada had given him and proclaimed, "This is the scroll authorizing the Council to take up its duties. It has already been signed by Nar Garzvhog of the Urgals, Queen Islanzadi of the Elves, Lady Nasuada and King Orrin of the humans, and King Orik of the Dwarves. All that remains is for a Dragon and a Rider to give their approval. He removed the pen that was clipped to the top of the Scroll and signed his name next to Orik's." Privately he asked Saphira, _How will you sign it?_

_The same way that you just did. _She reached toward him with one of her paws and carefully extended one of her razor sharp talons so that it barely touched the scroll. In a slow and exaggerated motion she moved her talon, carving a slim line in the shape of her name. _I taught myself to write by using the memories of your lessons with Brom. I thought it would be interesting to surprise you one day with it. _

Eragon stared at the scroll in disbelief. A dragon had just signed a written document. There was a mental nudge from Arya, reminding him that all eyes were still focused on him. "It is done!" he proclaimed, and then stepped back to Nasuada and Arya. He handed the scroll to Nasuada, and then she took his place in front of the Varden.

Arya leaned her head over and whispered, "You did well, Eragon."

"Did I? I hope so." He glanced at her briefly then murmured, "What were you and Nasuada talking about?"

"Naturally," Arya began. "She wanted to know where you had been today. Since you have yet to give me the full details I wasn't able to tell her, but I did tell her that you and I, along with Saphira, will be leaving immediately for Bierland."

"How did she react to that?"

"She requested that we stay for the night at least."

"You know that we can't do that. We need to leave immediately."

"Yes, that's exactly what I told her. She reluctantly agreed. We can leave at any time." 

Eragon swept his gaze over the Varden, and then looked at Nasuada. "I don't think we should leave until Nasuada finishes her speech, it would be considered disrespectful." 

"See, there you go," Arya praised, patting him on the shoulder gently. "You're learning about politics." He grunted.


	10. Chapter 10

Now if you follow the story on IF you would know I posted this chapter a day or two ago. I was hoping to get a bit of critique there before I posted it here, because on here you can't edit your posts to fix errors.

That being said, nobody was of any help in fixing the main problem that I had with this chapter: the emotions. I'm sure you'll notice that they don't quite seem right, so instead of posting that and telling me what I already know *points to the people on IF* maybeee tell me how I could _improve_ them.

Anyway this is the real chapter 10, no more fakes.

Chapter 10: Arya's Heart

The campfire crackled loudly as Arya tossed another log into the flames. "Cold," she explained.

She and Eragon were sitting next to each other on one side of the fire and Saphira was on the opposite side curled up into a massive ball as she slept. Saphira was only sleeping at the insistence of Eragon, as he saw no reason for her to over exert herself after flying so far earlier in the day.

It also provided a perfect opportunity for her and Eragon to talk in peace. She had gotten over her anger about earlier in the day after his brief explanation of his actions earlier, but she still wanted a more details about what exactly had kept him away from her all day. "So, are you going to tell me about what happened with Tenga?" She looked away from the fire and towards him.

He gave a long, tired sigh, and then cleared his throat. "I think it would be easier to show you than to tell you. Do you mind?"

Arya nodded her approval and reached out her mind to touch his. Immediately after they made contact she felt Eragon's mind take over and begin to replay the events of the day for her. She saw herself in Eragon's arms while he was talking to Solembum. The reluctance to leave her more than satisfied her desire for an explanation, but she had him carry on.

She wasn't sure if he had purposely shown her his chat with Saphira regarding love or if he had just forgotten to remove it, but she knew now that they would have to have a talk about it after they finished with the memory.

A few moments later Saphira landed in what looked like elven ruins and Eragon cautiously approached the door. She heard his conversation with Tenga and felt his extreme puzzlement with the entire situation. Although she too was puzzled, she agreed with Eragon that what Tenga had said was logical and correct. He cut off the memory as he jumped onto Saphira's back and the dragon jumped into the sky.

Arya blinked three times, readjusting herself to the world around her. She felt disappointed that Eragon hadn't gotten more out of Tenga, but she figured that he would chase him down at Du Fells Nangaroth and get the rest of the information. It seemed strange to her, that Galbatorix would have suspicions about Tenga's knowledge yet he would wait until Tenga met with Eragon to finally pursue the subject. The only reason she could think of is that Galbatorix could have thought that by leaving Tenga alone he would lead him to the Rock of Kuthian.

She voiced her thoughts to Eragon and he frowned in response. "We hadn't considered that. Do you think Galbatorix might be following us?"

Arya shrugged. "I doubt it. Remember, we asked Blodhgarm to create and illusion of Saphira and yourself to somewhat cover your absence. Galbatorix probably doesn't even know we left the Varden, which means that if he were to pursue someone it would be Tenga."

"True," he sighed. "Well, at least we aren't in any danger…" his voice trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

Arya knew exactly what he was thinking. He was reluctant to bring up the topic of love that they would inevitably have to discuss. She gathered herself and began hesitantly, "Eragon, about what Saphira said-"

"You don't have to say anything," said Eragon. She smiled slightly. Even then, when all the pieces of the puzzle were laid on in front of him and he knew, he had to know that she loved him, he wouldn't pursue the topic. He stayed true to the promise he had made her at the Burning Planes.

Arya scooted over a few inches to be by his side, her leg slightly touching his. She could feel his tension lighten somewhat by her touch, and she was happy that she had such an effect on him. She laid her hand on his thigh, causing him to look her in the eye with a curious expression. "I know I don't have to tell you anything, Eragon. But," she hesitated for a moment, making sure for one last time that she was ready to come out in the open with her feelings. "I _want_ to. I just don't know how to say it." She titled her head and rested it on his shoulder, unable to add the last three words that she so desperately wanted to say.

His expression softened and he whispered, "Saphira was right, wasn't she?'

Arya nodded, tears in her eyes at finally being able to tell Eragon the truth. She wrapped her arms around him quickly and he leaned down with his face his lips a few inches away from her own, allowing her to close the gap. Anticipation built up in her as she brought her lips to meet his, to finally kiss him for the first time. Their lips clashed with the passion that they both had for each other, the passion that they had kept bottled up for so long.

Arya felt like her entire body was on fire in the heat of the moment and she wished that it would never end. It felt like she was alive again, after hiding behind an emotionless mask for so long, to finally be able to show her feelings. She was _free_.

They had to break apart for air a moment later, each breathing slightly quicker than normal. Before she even bothered to take a breath she said with joy, "I love you, Eragon. I love you!" A massive weight lifted off of her as she spoke those words. She felt happiness, something that had been absent from her life until the past week, when she and Eragon had grown close.

His face transformed into a wide grin and he embraced her tightly, saying, "I love you too, Arya. You don't know how good it feels to finally hear that from you." He almost looked like he thought he had fallen asleep and was in a dream.

"Then show me," she whispered, locking her lips with his once again. Their inexperience was obvious to each other, and after a particularly strange tongue movement by Eragon Arya couldn't stop herself from breaking apart and laughing.

"What!" he asked, his face turning red.

She pecked him on the lips quickly and laid her head on his shoulder. "Nothing, we're both amateurs. That was just a unique tickling sensation that you made…"

He grunted, but he was still smiling when he said, "Oh yeah, well I think when you swirled your tongue around while the tip was bent upwards felt rather strange as well."

She laughed and slapped him gently, making sure that he knew she was just joking with him. "Well, practice makes perfect."

"Indeed," she replied, kissing him once again. He rolled to the side and they leaned back, lying on the ground together, him on top of her.

For a few more hours that evening, and for much longer than they should have stayed up, they spent the night exploring the others' mouth. Eventually, when they both burned out their energy, Arya laid her head on his chest as she had done the previous night and she snuggled up close to him as he wrapped his arm around her tightly.

"I love you," she whispered, her eyelids drooping.

"And I love you," he replied, just as quietly.

Together they both passed beyond the realm of consciousness and into their dreams, but their sleep didn't last for long.


End file.
